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Palgrave Macmillan

Hylomorphism into Pieces

Elements, Atoms and Corpuscles in Philosophy, Science, and Medicine, 1400–1600

  • Book
  • Sep 2024

Overview

Editors:
  1. Nicola Polloni

    1. KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Sylvain Roudaut

    1. Department of Philosophy, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Provides the first comprehensive study of the historical substitution of the traditional doctrine of hylomorphism
  • Examines the understudied period from 1400 to 1600 where a theoretical shift in philosophy and science took place
  • Studies the specific confrontation of corpuscular theories of matter with hylomorphism

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Medicine (PSMEMM)

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Keywords

  • Body composition
  • Atoms
  • Corpuscles
  • Late medieval philosophy
  • Early modern philosophy
  • Hylomorphism
  • Middle Ages
  • Theories of matter
  • Atomism
  • Corpuscularianism
  • Medieval science
  • Historical transition
  • Natural philosophy
  • Aristotle
  • Late medieval medicine
  • Early modern medicine
  • Chemistry
  • Metaphysics
  • Elements

About this book

Focussing on late medieval and early modern philosophy and medicine, this edited collection explores the replacement of hylomorphism – the dominant theory of bodies in the Middle Ages - with new theories of matter such as corpuscularianism and atomism at the dawn of the Modern period. Together, the contributions offer a comprehensive overview of a crucial historical moment for the history of philosophy and science: the rise of a new conception of matter against declining scholastic theories. They highlight the key aspects of this historical transition by investigating precise concepts that were central to this shift, namely the notions of elements, atoms and corpuscles. Shedding light on the gradual process by which hylomorphism was eventually replaced by a more positive conception of matter and natural processes, the book demonstrates how many thinkers of the late medieval period were willing to integrate new theories into the conceptual framework of Aristotelian natural philosophy, and tried to harmonise them with the traditional concepts and axioms of scholastic doctrines. Showing how these conceptual innovations resulted from a complex interaction between different fields of late medieval and early modern knowledge, the authors bring together research from the disciplines of metaphysics, medieval philosophy and medical science. Providing an overview of an important theoretical shift in the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era, this book is essential reading for scholars of philosophy, and historians of medieval and early modern science and medicine.

Editors and Affiliations

  • KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Nicola Polloni

  • Department of Philosophy, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Sylvain Roudaut

About the editors

Nicola Polloni is a Senior Researcher in the Institute of Philosophy at KU Leuven, in Belgium. His research delves into medieval hylomorphism, specifically on the tensions arising from the intertwining of metaphysics and natural philosophy.

Sylvain Roudaut is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the department of Philosophy at Stockholm University, in Sweden. His research focuses on the history of hylomorphism and the gradual emergence of mechanistic themes in late medieval philosophy.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Hylomorphism into Pieces

  • Book Subtitle: Elements, Atoms and Corpuscles in Philosophy, Science, and Medicine, 1400–1600

  • Editors: Nicola Polloni, Sylvain Roudaut

  • Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Medicine

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-60926-8Due: 05 October 2024

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-60929-9Due: 05 October 2024

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-60927-5Due: 05 October 2024

  • Series ISSN: 2524-7387

  • Series E-ISSN: 2524-7395

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Illustrations: 20 b/w illustrations

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