Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
TheoriesofLocalMotionbeforetheOxfordCalculators
43
Thisrule,describedinthesecondarysubjectliteratureastheprohibi-
tionofmetabasis,undoubtedlyimpactedsubstantially,andstrictlyspeak-
ingadversely,onthedevelopmentofnaturalphilosophyinsubsequent
centuries.Theprohibitionofmetabasisscrupulouslyobservedbymedieval
philosophersforbidthemeffectivelyfromintroducinganymathematical
toolsandexplanationsintonaturalphilosophyitself.Since,ifAristotle
hadclearlyconsideredtheuseofarithmetictoprovegeometricaltruths
wrong,thusforbiddingthepassingfromonebranchofmathematicsto
another,thenafortiorihewouldsurelyhavefoundasfallacioustheintro-
ductionofmathematicalargumentstosupportproofsinphysics.14This
wasinfactthecommonlyacceptedinterpretationofhisprohibitionofme-
tabasisthatprevailedamongmedievalnaturalphilosophers,atleastfrom
themomentthetextofthePosteriorAnalyticshadbeentranslatedintoLatin
inthe12thcenturyandhadbecomeavailabletothesethinkers.15Thefrst
whoreinterpretedthisprohibitioninsuchawaywherebytheintroduction
ofmathematicalargumentsintoscholasticnaturalphilosophicalissues
wasacceptable,orevenpreferable,wasactuallyWilliamofOckham,pos-
siblythemostinnovatorythinkerofhistimes.
2.TheoriesofMotioninArabicMedieval
Philosophy
WithAverroes’commentariesonAristotle’sworkstheMiddleAgeswas
tobecomeacquaintedwiththetraditionofArabicscience.Inhiscom-
mentariesonthelibrinaturales,Averroespresentedanddiscussedarguments
advancedbyJohnPhiloponus,Al-Kindi,Al-Farabi,AvempaceandAvi-
cenna;thelasttwoArabicphilosophershavingpresentedaninnovativeand
entirelydifferentconceptofmotionthantheAristotelianone.
AsMarwanRashednotes:
CombiningsomeargumentsinAristotle(Physics,IV.8,VII.5,and
Decaelo,I.6inparticular)-whichoriginallyhaveverydifferent
14Withtheexceptionoftheumiddle”orusubalternated’sciences,seee.g.,S.J.Li-
vesey,TheOxfordCalculators,QuantificationofQualities,andAristotle’sprohibitionof
metabasis,uVivarium”,24(1986),pp.51-56.
15SeeB.G.Dod,AristotelesLatinus,[in:]uTheCambridgeHistoryofLaterMedieval
Philosophy”N.Kretzmann,A.Kenny,J.Pinborg(eds),Cambridge1982,p.75.