16-19 May 2018
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Minneapolis, USA
Keynotes: Surekha Davies (Western Connecticut State University) and Vladimir Urbanek (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)
The Programme Committee for the 7th Annual Scientiae Conference invites submissions for individual papers or special panels on the disciplines of knowing in the early modern world (roughly 1400-1800), to be held at the University of Minnesota, 16-19 May 2018.
The major premise of the Scientiae Conference series is that knowledge during the early modern period was pre-disciplinary, involving complex mixtures of theories, practices and objects, which had yet to be separated into their modern ‘scientific’ configurations. Although centred on attempts to understand and control the natural world, Scientiae addresses natural philosophy, natural history, and the scientiae mixtae within a wide range of related fields, including but not restricted to Biblical exegesis, medicine, artisan practice and theory, logic, humanism, alchemy, magic, witchcraft, demonology, divinatory practices, astronomy, astrology, music, antiquarianism, experimentation and commerce. The conference and the sessions are interdisciplinary and intended to foster debate, one of Scientiae’s defining values.
While the Programme Committee welcomes proposals for 20-25 minute papers from any disciplinary perspective, we would like to encourage submissions that seek to examine modes of early modern knowledge formation and application that cross traditional national, geographic, linguistic or intellectual borders.
For 2018, we would also like to invite proposals for a series of special 2-hour interdisciplinary panels. These should be organised by theme and include three speakers and a commentator who treat the issue from different disciplinary perspectives.
The Program Committee welcomes sessions that present the scholarship of members at various stages of their careers. However, graduate student speakers must be advanced students who have completed coursework, examinations, and much of their dissertation research, and expect to defend their dissertations in the next two years.
Individual papers should include a 250-word abstract and a 1-page CV. Panel proposals should consists of a single 250-word description of the theme under discussion, and three 100-word outlines of how each paper will contribute to this theme, and from what discipline/angle.
Email proposals to: scientiaeminnesota [at] gmail.com
Deadline: 25 November 2017.
We will notify all contributors by 5 January.
Showing posts with label Astrology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Astrology. Show all posts
CALL FOR PAPERS: Superstition and Magic in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods
Princeton Medieval Studies Graduate Student Conference, April 20, 2018
Keynote Speaker: Prof. Michael Bailey
In an age when authorities attempt to assault our modern modes of critical thinking, the term “superstition” and its premodern associations take on rearranged values. Current political discourse denounces fake news and climate change as humbug with a zeal not unlike that of medieval and early modern establishments censuring false prophets and fallacious astrologers. Given these similarities, the classic narrative of a medieval society emerging into a modern one, “the disenchantment of the world” (Max Weber), urgently needs reappraisal. This conference proposes the examination of a wide range of evidence in various genres over time in order to foster this dialogue. In returning to the original meaning of “superstition” as an excessive fearfulness or belief, or a misapprehended and abused knowledge of a supernatural subject, how can we refine our understanding of superstition and magic in the premodern world? How can we make the overlaps between science, superstition, and magic productive?
We invite interdisciplinary submissions on diverse topics related to medieval and early modern superstition and magic. Some themes of the conference include, but are not limited to:
In order to support participation by speakers from outside the northeastern United States, we are offering limited subsidies to help offset the cost of travel to Princeton. Financial assistance may not be available for every participant, with funding priority going to those who have the farthest to travel. Speakers will have the option of staying with a resident graduate student to defray their expenses.
Interested graduate students should submit abstracts of no more than 500 words to Sonja Andersen and Jonathan Martin at superstition2018@gmail.com by February 15, 2018.
All applicants will be notified about their submissions by February 24, 2018. Presentations should be no longer than 20 minutes.
Keynote Speaker: Prof. Michael Bailey
In an age when authorities attempt to assault our modern modes of critical thinking, the term “superstition” and its premodern associations take on rearranged values. Current political discourse denounces fake news and climate change as humbug with a zeal not unlike that of medieval and early modern establishments censuring false prophets and fallacious astrologers. Given these similarities, the classic narrative of a medieval society emerging into a modern one, “the disenchantment of the world” (Max Weber), urgently needs reappraisal. This conference proposes the examination of a wide range of evidence in various genres over time in order to foster this dialogue. In returning to the original meaning of “superstition” as an excessive fearfulness or belief, or a misapprehended and abused knowledge of a supernatural subject, how can we refine our understanding of superstition and magic in the premodern world? How can we make the overlaps between science, superstition, and magic productive?
We invite interdisciplinary submissions on diverse topics related to medieval and early modern superstition and magic. Some themes of the conference include, but are not limited to:
- Control and influence exerted by the Church and universities
- The historical development of demonology
- The Witch Crisis: gender and authority
- Elite vs. folk magic; paganism and popular religion
- Heresy and superstition
- Depiction of magical elements in literature and visual culture
- The impact of various religious reform movements, including the Reformation and Counterreformation, on belief, magic, and ritual
- Music and metaphysics
- Oaths, incantations, and spells: the power of words
- Natural philosophy: astrology, alchemy, medical practices, etc.
- Material history and archaeology
- Co-mingling of Eastern and Western traditions; book magic; Kabbalah
- Esoteric belief systems and the rise of secret societies
- The law: ordeals, witch-hunts, and policing of superstitious practices
In order to support participation by speakers from outside the northeastern United States, we are offering limited subsidies to help offset the cost of travel to Princeton. Financial assistance may not be available for every participant, with funding priority going to those who have the farthest to travel. Speakers will have the option of staying with a resident graduate student to defray their expenses.
Interested graduate students should submit abstracts of no more than 500 words to Sonja Andersen and Jonathan Martin at superstition2018@gmail.com by February 15, 2018.
All applicants will be notified about their submissions by February 24, 2018. Presentations should be no longer than 20 minutes.
FUNDING: Funded PhD in the History of Early Modern Science - Iconography of Early Modern Scientific Instruments.
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Science and Technology Studies (IZWT) at Wuppertal University invites applications for a
PhD position (65%, E 13 TVL) in History of Early Modern Science
starting April 1, 2018. This position is part of the research project “Iconography on Early Modern Scientific Instruments” (for a description of the project see below), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Requirements:
A master’s degree in history of science or history of art and a specialization in the history of early modern science or art. Cf. the official posting can be found here (in German).
Applications referring to the job opening 17255 should include a c.v., copies of diploma, research profile. Applications should be submitted electronically to Univ.- Prof. Dr. Volker Remmert
The University is working towards increasing the role of women in research positions. Women will be preferentially employed if their qualification and records of research are equal to other candidates. This does not affect the preferential employment of handicapped persons if their qualification is equal.
Applications should arrive no later than January 19, 2018.
Iconography on Early Modern Scientific Instruments
During the Scientific Revolution scientific instruments, such as astrolabes, air pumps, microscopes and telescopes became increasingly important for the study of nature. In the early modern period they had not yet reached the status of standardized and impersonal means to study nature. Rather they usually were unique items, which by their function as well as their design could serve the mediation between scholars, social elites and beyond. In this context the iconography on the instruments played a crucial role. In fact a great number of early modern instruments are adorned with images, that in themselves have no relevance for the use of the instruments, as for instance the depiction of Atlas and Hercules on an astrolabe by Praetorius (1568, Dresden) or the line of tradition in astronomy and geometry on Bürgi’s astronomical clock (1591, Kassel) stretching from the church fathers to Copernicus. As of now such imagery on instruments and its contexts have only sporadically been analysed.
The project Iconography on early modern scientific instruments specifically analyses the imagery on the instruments. It aims for the first time at a systematic analysis of the multifaceted visual material on the instruments asking for its role in the various contexts of the adorned instruments (genesis, function, use) and its importance for setting up or supporting stories/histories of success and relevance within the emerging field of the sciences. The iconography points to quite a few significant topics as, for instance, statements of specific positions in theoretical debates (e.g. Copernican question), mediation and illustration of knowledge, in particular by picturing the usability of the instruments, or the role of instruments as patronage artefacts with specific iconographic programmes.
The analysis of the imagery is likewise highly relevant in order to understand the intellectual, cultural and artistic contexts shaping and determining the production of instruments in the early modern period. It opens a window on the investigation of collaborative processes during the conception, design and construction of instruments in the multi-layered field between instrument makers, artists, artisans, patrons and scholars.
PhD position (65%, E 13 TVL) in History of Early Modern Science
starting April 1, 2018. This position is part of the research project “Iconography on Early Modern Scientific Instruments” (for a description of the project see below), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
The project Iconography on Early Modern Scientific Instruments specifically analyses the imagery of such instruments and aims at a systematic analysis of the multifaceted visual material on the instruments, asking for its role in the various contexts of the adorned instruments (genesis, function, use). Requests concerning the project should be directed to Volker Remmert.
Requirements:
A master’s degree in history of science or history of art and a specialization in the history of early modern science or art. Cf. the official posting can be found here (in German).
Applications referring to the job opening 17255 should include a c.v., copies of diploma, research profile. Applications should be submitted electronically to Univ.- Prof. Dr. Volker Remmert
The University is working towards increasing the role of women in research positions. Women will be preferentially employed if their qualification and records of research are equal to other candidates. This does not affect the preferential employment of handicapped persons if their qualification is equal.
Applications should arrive no later than January 19, 2018.
Iconography on Early Modern Scientific Instruments
During the Scientific Revolution scientific instruments, such as astrolabes, air pumps, microscopes and telescopes became increasingly important for the study of nature. In the early modern period they had not yet reached the status of standardized and impersonal means to study nature. Rather they usually were unique items, which by their function as well as their design could serve the mediation between scholars, social elites and beyond. In this context the iconography on the instruments played a crucial role. In fact a great number of early modern instruments are adorned with images, that in themselves have no relevance for the use of the instruments, as for instance the depiction of Atlas and Hercules on an astrolabe by Praetorius (1568, Dresden) or the line of tradition in astronomy and geometry on Bürgi’s astronomical clock (1591, Kassel) stretching from the church fathers to Copernicus. As of now such imagery on instruments and its contexts have only sporadically been analysed.
The project Iconography on early modern scientific instruments specifically analyses the imagery on the instruments. It aims for the first time at a systematic analysis of the multifaceted visual material on the instruments asking for its role in the various contexts of the adorned instruments (genesis, function, use) and its importance for setting up or supporting stories/histories of success and relevance within the emerging field of the sciences. The iconography points to quite a few significant topics as, for instance, statements of specific positions in theoretical debates (e.g. Copernican question), mediation and illustration of knowledge, in particular by picturing the usability of the instruments, or the role of instruments as patronage artefacts with specific iconographic programmes.
The analysis of the imagery is likewise highly relevant in order to understand the intellectual, cultural and artistic contexts shaping and determining the production of instruments in the early modern period. It opens a window on the investigation of collaborative processes during the conception, design and construction of instruments in the multi-layered field between instrument makers, artists, artisans, patrons and scholars.
CALL FOR PAPERS: Thomas Harriot Seminar
Are you a researcher working on the late-sixteenth or early seventeenth century? Do you have research interests in any of the following fields: history of science, history of mathematics, the history of maritime exploration, navigation and early colonial America? If so, you might be interested in the Thomas Harriot Seminar, which meets annually (alternating between Durham University and Birkbeck, University of London). The seminar is named after the Elizabethan mathematician Thomas Harriot (1560-1621), and is devoted to the study of all of the areas in which Harriot was involved, this includes topics such as astronomy, atomism, alchemy and metallurgy, optics, statics and mechanics, algebra, geometry, number theory, navigational mathematics, maritime history, ballistics, the art of war, and early linguistics and cryptography. We would particularly welcome papers from younger scholars working in any of these fields (or cognate areas).
For more information please contact the Chairman, Dr Stephen Clucas or visit the Seminar’s website: Thomas Harriot Seminar
Dr Stephen Clucas,
Editor, Intellectual History Review
Reader in Early Modern Intellectual History,
Birkbeck, University of London,
Malet Street,
London WC1E 7HX
For more information please contact the Chairman, Dr Stephen Clucas or visit the Seminar’s website: Thomas Harriot Seminar
Dr Stephen Clucas,
Editor, Intellectual History Review
Reader in Early Modern Intellectual History,
Birkbeck, University of London,
Malet Street,
London WC1E 7HX
Tel: 020 3073 8421
CALL FOR PAPERS: Scientiae 2017 - Extended Deadline
Proposals are invited for the sixth annual Scientiae conference on disciplines of knowing in the early modern world (roughly 1400-1800), which will take place at the University of Padua, 19-22 April 2017. Our Keynote Speakers will be Paula Findlen (Stanford), Claire Preston (QM London), and Antonio Clericuzio (Roma Tre).
The major premise of this conference series is that knowledge during this period was inherently interdisciplinary, involving complex mixtures of theories, practices and objects, which had yet to be separated into their modern ‘scientific’ configurations. Although centred on attempts to understand and control the natural world, Scientiae addresses natural philosophy, natural history, and the scientiae mixtae within a wide range of related fields, including but not restricted to Biblical exegesis, medicine, artisan practice and theory, logic, humanism, alchemy, magic, witchcraft, demonology, divinatory practices, astronomy, astrology, music, antiquarianism, experimentation and commerce.
This year attention is especially given to the history of early modern knowledge and erudition, the history of universities, particularly though not exclusively the history of the university of Padua, as well as the history of the book and the history of political thought.
In addition to individual papers, we seek panel proposals about, though not exclusively:
Please email your 250-word abstract, together with a one-page CV to Scientiae Padua
EXTENDED DEADLINE: 15 January 2017 – Accepted speakers will be notified on 22 January
The deadline for abstract submission is 15 January 2017. We shall be notifying the selection outcome by 22 January.
The major premise of this conference series is that knowledge during this period was inherently interdisciplinary, involving complex mixtures of theories, practices and objects, which had yet to be separated into their modern ‘scientific’ configurations. Although centred on attempts to understand and control the natural world, Scientiae addresses natural philosophy, natural history, and the scientiae mixtae within a wide range of related fields, including but not restricted to Biblical exegesis, medicine, artisan practice and theory, logic, humanism, alchemy, magic, witchcraft, demonology, divinatory practices, astronomy, astrology, music, antiquarianism, experimentation and commerce.
This year attention is especially given to the history of early modern knowledge and erudition, the history of universities, particularly though not exclusively the history of the university of Padua, as well as the history of the book and the history of political thought.
In addition to individual papers, we seek panel proposals about, though not exclusively:
- Teaching with Collections
- The Enlightenment
- The Republic of Letters
- Early Modern Universities and Amateur Knowledge
- Venice-Vienna-Costantinople-Moscow: The Other Early Modern Europe
Please email your 250-word abstract, together with a one-page CV to Scientiae Padua
EXTENDED DEADLINE: 15 January 2017 – Accepted speakers will be notified on 22 January
The deadline for abstract submission is 15 January 2017. We shall be notifying the selection outcome by 22 January.
CALL FOR PAPERS: ‘Fate and Fortune in Renaissance Thought’
 |
| Albrecht Dürer ~ Fortuna |
Keynote address: Dilwyn Knox (University College London).
Respondent: Stephen Clucas (Birkbeck, University of London)
The aim of the colloquium is to explore the significance of the concepts of fate and fortune in Renaissance thought. While having a significant medieval background in theological texts and in The Consolation of Philosophy and other philosophical treatises, these concepts received new interpretations during the Renaissance period. The cause was a renewed interest in Cicero’s treatises, as well as in Alexander of Aphrodisias and Stoic philosophy. On the other hand, the question of fate and fortune seems to be closely related to religious disputes of the sixteenth century.
Hopefully, the colloquium will contribute to a better understanding of these concepts and their crucial role in the history of Renaissance thought. Despite some valuable publications on the topic, a number of its aspects still remain unclear. The interdisciplinary character of the conference would allow to explore the place of fortune and fate in religious, philosophical and artistic contexts in the Renaissance.
A number of fundamental questions will be addressed including:
- The classical tradition and its contribution to the (re)consideration of these concepts in the Renaissance
- Renaissance Stoicism and the reception of Alexander of Aphrodisias
- Religious controversies in the sixteenth century and the disputes on free will, fate and fortune in theological texts.
- Determinism
- Fate and fortune in respect of controversies on astrology and magic in the Renaissance
- The image of fate and fortune in Renaissance art
The Marginalisation of Astrology
Utrecht, 19-20 March 2015; Deadline 30 September 2014
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
· History of astrology. Although the project is about people NOT practising astrology rather than about astrologers, the history of astrology proper remains of course central. At the very least, an attempt should be made to compare differences in astrological practice (and their marginalization) between various local, cultural and religious contexts. Other relevant questions concern criticisms and apologies of astrology and attempts at astrological reform.
· History of science. The idea that astrology was discredited directly because of new scientific discoveries is no longer regarded as credible; on the other hand, it does not appears believable that there was no connection at all. The dismissal of astrology implied a transformation of the work and the identity of astronomers. In natural philosophy, it implied a rejection of the idea of celestial influence, which had become an integral part of scholastic philosophy.
· History of medicine. Medicine was a major application of astrology. Medieval physicians would routinely cast horoscopes for diagnostic and other purposes. The question is when and how this changed. Obviously, both the supply and the demand sides have to be taken into account.
· Court culture. Important on the side of demand were princely and noble courts. In the sixteenth century, princes would regularly employ court mathematicians/astronomers, whose task it was to cast horoscopes. In the seventeenth century, on the other hand, Louis XIV spent a fortune on the Paris Observatory, while casting horoscopes was not among the tasks of this institution. Again, the reasons behind this change are not clear.
· Print culture. Almanacs, ephemerides, and prognostics, in conjunction with information on their makers, editions, and distribution, should enable us (at least) to get some idea of the popularity, or lack of popularity, of astrological ideas and practices. This is a field wherein some work has already been done.
· History of religion. The era of the Reformation and Counter Reformation saw important developments in the field of theology, Church discipline and organization, which may have affected the status of astrology. One should also look to what one might call religious anthropology: shifting attitudes toward the supernatural and a changing definition of “superstition”, more or less identifiable with Weber’s “disenchantment of the world”. It is not clear to what extent astrology (as a learned practice) was placed in the same category as other superstitions, but the question should be asked.
· Finally, the question to what extent this development remained limited to Western Europe, and whether similar things happened elsewhere (and when), should not be forgotten, even if it is probably hard to answer at this stage.
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
· Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
· Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
· History of astrology. Although the project is about people NOT practising astrology rather than about astrologers, the history of astrology proper remains of course central. At the very least, an attempt should be made to compare differences in astrological practice (and their marginalization) between various local, cultural and religious contexts. Other relevant questions concern criticisms and apologies of astrology and attempts at astrological reform.
· History of science. The idea that astrology was discredited directly because of new scientific discoveries is no longer regarded as credible; on the other hand, it does not appears believable that there was no connection at all. The dismissal of astrology implied a transformation of the work and the identity of astronomers. In natural philosophy, it implied a rejection of the idea of celestial influence, which had become an integral part of scholastic philosophy.
· History of medicine. Medicine was a major application of astrology. Medieval physicians would routinely cast horoscopes for diagnostic and other purposes. The question is when and how this changed. Obviously, both the supply and the demand sides have to be taken into account.
· Court culture. Important on the side of demand were princely and noble courts. In the sixteenth century, princes would regularly employ court mathematicians/astronomers, whose task it was to cast horoscopes. In the seventeenth century, on the other hand, Louis XIV spent a fortune on the Paris Observatory, while casting horoscopes was not among the tasks of this institution. Again, the reasons behind this change are not clear.
· Print culture. Almanacs, ephemerides, and prognostics, in conjunction with information on their makers, editions, and distribution, should enable us (at least) to get some idea of the popularity, or lack of popularity, of astrological ideas and practices. This is a field wherein some work has already been done.
· History of religion. The era of the Reformation and Counter Reformation saw important developments in the field of theology, Church discipline and organization, which may have affected the status of astrology. One should also look to what one might call religious anthropology: shifting attitudes toward the supernatural and a changing definition of “superstition”, more or less identifiable with Weber’s “disenchantment of the world”. It is not clear to what extent astrology (as a learned practice) was placed in the same category as other superstitions, but the question should be asked.
· Finally, the question to what extent this development remained limited to Western Europe, and whether similar things happened elsewhere (and when), should not be forgotten, even if it is probably hard to answer at this stage.
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
· Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
· Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
Philosophy’s Problem with Religion: The Interplay of Faith and Reason from Scholasticism to Enlightenment
British Academy Early Career Regional Event, Thursday, 4 September 2014
German Historical Institute London, 17 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2NJ
9:30 am
Welcome
9:45 am
Cornelia Linde (German Historical Institute London): Faith and Reason in Thirteenth-Century Quodlibeta
10:30 am
Coffee break
11:00 am
Kantik Ghosh (Oxford): Religio-Intellectual History in Late-Medieval England: Possible Directions of Research
11:45pm
German Historical Institute London, 17 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2NJ
9:30 am
Welcome
9:45 am
Cornelia Linde (German Historical Institute London): Faith and Reason in Thirteenth-Century Quodlibeta
10:30 am
Coffee break
11:00 am
Kantik Ghosh (Oxford): Religio-Intellectual History in Late-Medieval England: Possible Directions of Research
11:45pm
Jill Kraye (Warburg Institute): Christian Humanism, Platonism and Concordism: New Approaches to the Double Truth in Fifteenth-Century Italy
12:30 pm
12:30 pm
Lunch
1:45 pm
1:45 pm
Guido Giglioni (Warburg Institute): Averroes’s Destructio destructionum in the Renaissance
2:30 pm
Roberta Giubilini (Warburg Institute): ‘Favello sempre secondo i filosofi’: The Incompatibility of Philosophical and Theological Speculation in Benedetto Varchi (1503-1565)
3:15 pm
Maria Rosa Antognazza (King’s College London): The Place of Theology in Leibniz’s Thought
2:30 pm
Roberta Giubilini (Warburg Institute): ‘Favello sempre secondo i filosofi’: The Incompatibility of Philosophical and Theological Speculation in Benedetto Varchi (1503-1565)
3:15 pm
Maria Rosa Antognazza (King’s College London): The Place of Theology in Leibniz’s Thought
4:00 pm
Coffee break
4:30 pm
Neil Tarrant (Imperial College): Censoring Medical Astrology in Late Sixteenth-Century Italy: Defining Astral Knowledge in an Augustinian Age
5:15 pm
Conclusion
Attendance is free, but please register with Cornelia Linde (linde@ghil.ac.uk) as seats are limited.
Coffee break
4:30 pm
Neil Tarrant (Imperial College): Censoring Medical Astrology in Late Sixteenth-Century Italy: Defining Astral Knowledge in an Augustinian Age
5:15 pm
Conclusion
Attendance is free, but please register with Cornelia Linde (linde@ghil.ac.uk) as seats are limited.
CALL FOR PAPERS: The Marginalisation of Astrology
Utrecht, 19-20 March 2015; Deadline 30 September 2014
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
The Descartes Centrum for history of science of the University of Utrecht, in collaboaration with the department of philosophy of the Radboud University at Nijmegen, will host an international conference on the problem of the marginalization of astrology in the early modern period.
Astrology has been a well-established and respected part of scholarship for centuries, practiced in many cultural and geographical settings. However, in the modern world, astrology, though still very much present, has lost its scientific status and is relegated to the fringes of serious learning. In the history of the sciences, this must be regarded as a momentous shift. The definite step in the “marginalization” of astrology appears to have been taken in the seventeenth century and should therefore be regarded as an important element (rather than as a consequence) of the so-called Scientific Revolution.
The reasons for this development are far from clear. Actually, even the development itself (when, where and by whom did astrology become disavowed) has so far been only poorly documented. The conference therefore aims at bringing together specialists from various fields to throw light on this intruiging question.
It is the aim of the conference to study the subject from various different angles:
- History of astrology. Although the project is about people NOT practising astrology rather than about astrologers, the history of astrology proper remains of course central. At the very least, an attempt should be made to compare differences in astrological practice (and their marginalization) between various local, cultural and religious contexts. Other relevant questions concern criticisms and apologies of astrology and attempts at astrological reform.
- History of science. The idea that astrology was discredited directly because of new scientific discoveries is no longer regarded as credible; on the other hand, it does not appears believable that there was no connection at all. The dismissal of astrology implied a transformation of the work and the identity of astronomers. In natural philosophy, it implied a rejection of the idea of celestial influence, which had become an integral part of scholastic philosophy.
- History of medicine. Medicine was a major application of astrology. Medieval physicians would routinely cast horoscopes for diagnostic and other purposes. The question is when and how this changed. Obviously, both the supply and the demand sides have to be taken into account.
- Court culture. Important on the side of demand were princely and noble courts. In the sixteenth century, princes would regularly employ court mathematicians/astronomers, whose task it was to cast horoscopes. In the seventeenth century, on the other hand, Louis XIV spent a fortune on the Paris Observatory, while casting horoscopes was not among the tasks of this institution. Again, the reasons behind this change are not clear.
- Print culture. Almanacs, ephemerides, and prognostics, in conjunction with information on their makers, editions, and distribution, should enable us (at least) to get some idea of the popularity, or lack of popularity, of astrological ideas and practices. This is a field wherein some work has already been done.
- History of religion. The era of the Reformation and Counter Reformation saw important developments in the field of theology, Church discipline and organization, which may have affected the status of astrology. One should also look to what one might call religious anthropology: shifting attitudes toward the supernatural and a changing definition of “superstition”, more or less identifiable with Weber’s “disenchantment of the world”. It is not clear to what extent astrology (as a learned practice) was placed in the same category as other superstitions, but the question should be asked.
- Finally, the question to what extent this development remained limited to Western Europe, and whether similar things happened elsewhere (and when), should not be forgotten, even if it is probably hard to answer at this stage.
People who are interested to give a paper at this conference are invited to send a title and abstract (300 words maximum) by the end of September to the organizers:
Rienk Vermij, history of science, University of Oklahoma (rienk.vermij@ou.edu)
Hiro Hirai, department of philosophy, University of Nijmegen (hhirai2@gmail.com)
For all other information, please also contact the organizers mentioned above.
EMPHASIS Seminar: As Above, So Below: Medieval and Early Modern Conjunctions of Astrology and Alchemy
The purpose of EMPHASIS (Early Modern Philosophy and the Scientific Imagination) is to provide a London forum for scholars working in the history of philosophy, intellectual history and the history of science of Europe in the period 1400-1650. The term 'philosophy' is interpreted in its fullest Renaissance sense, and includes such themes as: Neoplatonism, scholasticism and late Aristotelian philosophy, Epicureanism, stoicism, scepticism, cosmological theories, the classification of the disciplines, encyclopaedism, Lullism, the art of memory, the philosophy of mathematics, theories of the soul, theories of language and signs, etc.
Saturday 11th February, 2.00-4.00pm: Room G37, 1st Floor, Senate House south block. PLEASE NOTE: THESE SEMINARS ARE VERY POPULAR AND THE MEETING ROOM IS OFTEN VERY FULL. Refreshments provided.
Peter J. Forshaw (University of Amsterdam): 'As Above, So Below: Medieval and Early Modern Conjunctions of Astrology and Alchemy'
Saturday 11th February, 2.00-4.00pm: Room G37, 1st Floor, Senate House south block. PLEASE NOTE: THESE SEMINARS ARE VERY POPULAR AND THE MEETING ROOM IS OFTEN VERY FULL. Refreshments provided.
Peter J. Forshaw (University of Amsterdam): 'As Above, So Below: Medieval and Early Modern Conjunctions of Astrology and Alchemy'
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