Article ID: CBB000932580

Conjecture, Probabilism, and Provisional Knowledge in Renaissance Meteorology (2009)

unapi

Martin, Craig (Author)


Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period
Volume: 14
Pages: 265--289


Publication Date: 2009
Edition Details: Part of special issue: Evidence and Interpretation: Studies on Early Science and Medicine in Honor of John E. Murdoch
Language: English

For Renaissance Aristotelian natural philosophers, ideally knowledge was certain and based on syllogistic demonstration. Many Italian scholars, such as Agostino Nifo, Pietro Pomponazzi, and Niccolò Cabeo, considered this ideal as inapplicable to the field of meteorology. Rather, because of the accidental nature of meteorological phenomena and the inherent irregularity of the weather, they believed that causal explanations of meteorology were largely conjectural, provisional, and probabilistic. Several of these natural philosophers applied the standard of "saving the appearances" to the field of meteorology because of the difficulties involved in making accurate observations. This lower epistemological standard contributed to the willingness of Aristotelians to revise meteorological theories and deviate from Aristotle's own positions.

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Article Newman, William R.; Sylla, Edith Dudley (2009) Introduction. Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period (p. 1). unapi

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB000932580/

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Authors & Contributors
Martin, Craig
Thierry Belleguic
Maria Antonia Rancadore
Erto, Maurizio
Riccarda Suitner
Zambelli, Paola
Concepts
Aristotelianism
Philosophy
Meteorology
Natural philosophy
Earth sciences
Philosophy and religion
Time Periods
16th century
Renaissance
15th century
17th century
Early modern
Enlightenment
Places
Italy
Europe
Padua (Italy)
Danube river
Naples (Italy)
Austria
Institutions
Università di Padova
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