Copernicus and the Aristotelian Tradition: Education, Reading, and Philosophy in Copernicus's Path to Heliocentrism

577 Pages·2010·2.02 MB·English

by  André Goddu

Copernicus and the Aristotelian Tradition
History of Science
and Medicine Library
VOLUME 15
Medieval and
Early Modern Science
Editors
J.M.M.H. Th ijssen, Radboud University Nijmegen
C.H. Lüthy, Radboud University Nijmegen
Editorial Consultants
Joël Biard, University of Tours
Simo Knuuttila, University of Helsinki
John E. Murdoch, Harvard University
Jürgen Renn, Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science
Th eo Verbeek, University of Utrecht
VOLUME 12
Copernicus and
the Aristotelian Tradition
Education, Reading, and Philosophy in
Copernicus’s Path to Heliocentrism
By
André Goddu

LEIDEN • BOSTON
2010
On the cover: Reconstruction of Copernicus’s face. Reproduced with the kind per-
mission of Prof. Dr. Jerzy Gąssowski, Director of the Institute of Anthropology and
Archaeology of the Pultusk Academy of Humanities, Poland, who was responsible
for the Copernicus program, the excavation of his grave, and the discovery of his
remains.
Th is book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goddu, André, 1945–
Copernicus and the Aristotelian tradition : education, reading, and philosophy in
Copernicus’s path to heliocentrism / by André Goddu.
p. cm. — (History of science and medicine library, ISSN 1872-0684 ; v. 15)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-90-04-18107-6 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Copernicus, Nicolaus, 1473–1543—Knowledge and learning. 2. Copernicus,
Nicolaus, 1473–1543—Sources. 3. Astronomy—History—16th century.
4. Cosmology—History—16th century. 5. Science—History—16th century.
6. Philosophy, Medieval. I. Title.
QB36.C8G635 2010
520.92—dc22
2009047722
ISSN 1872-0684
ISBN 978 90 04 18107 6
Copyright 2010 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, Th e Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing,
IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated,
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printed in the netherlands
To Kayo and Seisei

CONTENTS
List of Illustrations ............................................................................. xi
Preface .................................................................................................. xiii
Acknowledgements ........................................................................... xix
Introduction ......................................................................................... xxi
PART I
COPERNICUS’S EDUCATION IN POLAND
Chapter One Poland, Toruń, and Cracow in the Fift eenth
Century ............................................................................................ 5
1. Early Education ......................................................................... 5
2. Cracow University .................................................................... 13
3. Curriculum and Texts, 1475–1500 ......................................... 25
Chapter Two Masters and Students in the 1490s ...................... 35
Chapter Th ree Th e Teaching of Logic ......................................... 51
1. Aristotelian Logic—Introductory Orientation ..................... 52
2. Th e Teaching of Logic at Cracow .......................................... 72
Chapter Four Natural Philosophy ................................................ 89
1. General Orientation .................................................................. 89
2. Markowski’s Most Important and Relevant
Conclusions ................................................................................ 97
3. Th e Quaestiones cracovienses on the Physics of Aristotle ... 99
4. Aristotle’s De caelo, De generatione, Meteorologica, and
Metaphysics ................................................................................. 114
5. Johannes Versoris ..................................................................... 122
6. Albert of Saxony and John of Glogovia ................................ 128
Chapter Five Humanism and Astronomy ................................... 137
1. Introduction ............................................................................... 137
2. Th e Curriculum at Cracow ...................................................... 145
3. Th e Criticisms of Ptolemaic Astronomy ............................... 154
viii contents
4. Copernicus’s Teachers at Cracow .......................................... 159
5. Albert of Brudzewo’s Commentariolum ................................ 162
PART II
COPERNICUS’S EDUCATION IN ITALY, 1496–1503,
AND RETURN TO POLAND
Chapter Six Copernicus in Italy .................................................... 171
1. Introduction ............................................................................... 171
2. Copernicus’s Education in Canon and Civil Law ............... 173
3. Copernicus and Novara ........................................................... 187
4. Copernicus’s Study of Greek ................................................... 193
5. Copernicus in Rome ................................................................. 197
6. Copernicus’s Study of Medicine at Padua ............................ 198
7. Copernicus’s Degree from Ferrara ......................................... 203
Chapter Seven Copernicus’s Reading and Progress towards
his First Heliocentric Th eory ........................................................ 207
1. Introduction ............................................................................... 207
2. Regiomontanus’s Epitome ........................................................ 215
3. Bessarion’s In calumniatorem Platonis .................................. 220
4. Ficino’s Translation of Plato’s Works ................................... 225
5. Plutarch, Pseudo-Plutarch (Aëtius) and Giorgio Valla ...... 229
6. Pliny’s Natural History and other Ancient Authorities ..... 237
7. Achillini ...................................................................................... 238
8. Commentariolus ......................................................................... 243
PART III
COPERNICUS AS PHILOSOPHER
Chapter Eight Copernicus as Logician ........................................ 275
1. Introduction ............................................................................... 275
2. Th e Sources of Dialectical Topics, 1490–1550 ..................... 279
3. Mereology—Logic and Ontology ........................................... 285
4. Logic in the Commentariolus .................................................. 291
5. Th e Use of Topics in the Preface of De revolutionibus ...... 292
6. Th e Rhetorical Framework of Book I .................................... 300
7. Th e Use of Topics in Book I ................................................... 304
contents ix
8. Hypotheses in Copernicus’s Method .................................. 314
9. Th e Logical Issues in the Relation between Mathematics
and Natural Philosophy ......................................................... 317
10. Th e Logical Issues in his Discovery of the Heliocentric
Th eory ....................................................................................... 321
11. Concluding Remarks on Copernicus’s Relation to the
Aristotelian Logical Tradition .............................................. 323
Chapter Nine Copernicus as Natural Philosopher .................... 325
1. Introduction ............................................................................. 325
2. Copernicus’s Critique of Geocentrism ................................ 326
3. Th e Motions of Celestial Bodies ........................................... 332
4. Impetus and the Motions of Elemental Bodies ................. 336
5. Infi nity and the Finiteness of the Cosmos ......................... 355
6. Summary .................................................................................. 358
Chapter Ten Copernicus as Mathematical Cosmologist .......... 361
1. Introduction ............................................................................. 361
2. Hypotheses ............................................................................... 362
3. Spheres and the Nature of Celestial Matter ....................... 370
4. Equants ..................................................................................... 381
5. Summary .................................................................................. 384
Conclusion and Epilogue .................................................................. 387
1. Summary .................................................................................. 387
2. Copernicus’s Interpretation of Aristotle ............................. 389
3. Epilog: Reception of Copernicus’s Interpretation ............. 403
Appendices ........................................................................................... 439
Bibliography ......................................................................................... 495
Indices
Index of Names .............................................................................. 525
Index of Places ................................................................................ 536
Index of Subjects ............................................................................ 538