history of science · medieval history · Robert Grosseteste · science and religion

Quotes of Note

“Grosseteste most often features in accounts of medieval thought because of his contribution to the scientific method, and for what has been called his ‘metaphysics of light’. Although Grosseteste spoke, in his commentary on the Posterior Analytics, on how to reach a universal principle based on experience (principium universale experimentale), the claim sometime made that… Continue reading Quotes of Note

Aquinas · Averroes · history of science · Islam and science · medieval history · philosophy of science

On Averroes

It is ironic that the man whom Europeans came to regard as one of the most influential Arab scientists and philosophers of the Middle Ages, was not exactly appreciated in his homeland. Ibn Rushd (1126—1198), was a native of Cordoba, in Andalusian Spain, and his work covered a broad range of topics in medicine, science… Continue reading On Averroes

Aquinas · Aristotle · Darwin · evolution · history of science · philosophy · philosophy of science · scholasticism

Scholasticism II: What’s in a PON?

Ed Feser wrote a thoughtful response to my earlier post on Scholasticism. And I’d like to expand on his comments, as my afterthoughts on Pieper’s point were brief. I’m a bit puzzled by John’s statement that “Scholasticism presupposes an Aristotelian philosophy of nature that is simply not adequate to support what modern science has uncovered… Continue reading Scholasticism II: What’s in a PON?

Catholic Church · cosmology · history of science

On RealClear Science’s List of Great Priest-Scientists

As a result of the controversy surrounding the historical treatment of figures such as Giordano Bruno in Neil de Grasse Tyson’s Cosmos reboot,  and the flurry of posts it’s generated about the ‘war’ between religion and science, RealClearScience published a list of 9 Priests Who Were Great Scientists. The notion that science and religion are in… Continue reading On RealClear Science’s List of Great Priest-Scientists