Recent research has paid increasing attention to the variety of versions of the mechanical philosophy, showing that it is not to be regarded as a single and homogeneous philosophical approach to the investigation of natural phenomena. The mechanical philosophers disagreed on crucial topics, as the divisibility of matter, the origin of motion, the existence of void, the role of final causes, the reductionist approach to the study of natural phenomena. The reception of Gassendi’s theory of matter in England sheds light on the different types of mechanical philosophy that flourished in the second half of the 17th century. Gassendi’s ‘moderate’ mechanism and his combination of atomism with empiricism were responsible for the rapid and widespread diffusion of his ideas in England.
Clericuzio, A. (2018). Gassendi and the English Mechanical Philosophers. GALILAEANA, 15, 3-29.
Gassendi and the English Mechanical Philosophers
Antonio Clericuzio
2018-01-01
Abstract
Recent research has paid increasing attention to the variety of versions of the mechanical philosophy, showing that it is not to be regarded as a single and homogeneous philosophical approach to the investigation of natural phenomena. The mechanical philosophers disagreed on crucial topics, as the divisibility of matter, the origin of motion, the existence of void, the role of final causes, the reductionist approach to the study of natural phenomena. The reception of Gassendi’s theory of matter in England sheds light on the different types of mechanical philosophy that flourished in the second half of the 17th century. Gassendi’s ‘moderate’ mechanism and his combination of atomism with empiricism were responsible for the rapid and widespread diffusion of his ideas in England.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
