Article ID: CBB001214306

Kepler's Theory of Force and His Medical Sources (2014)

unapi

Johannes Kepler (1571--1630) makes extensive use of souls and spiritus in his natural philosophy. Recent studies have highlighted their importance in his accounts of celestial generation and astrology. In this study, I would like to address two pressing issues. The first is Kepler's context. The biological side of his natural philosophy is not naively Aristotelian. Instead, he is up to date with contemporary discussions in medically flavored natural philosophy. I will examine his relationship to Melanchthon's anatomical-theological Liber de anima (1552) and to Jean Fernel's very popular Physiologia (1567), two Galenic sources with a noticeable impact on how he understands the functions of life. The other issue that will direct my article is force at a distance. Medical ideas deeply inform Kepler's theories of light and solar force (virtus motrix). It will become clear that they are not a hindrance even to the hardcore of his celestial physics. Instead, he makes use of soul and spiritus in order to develop a fully mathematized dynamics.

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Authors & Contributors
Boner, Patrick J.
García Valverde, José Manuel
Gábor Kutrovátz
Zanier, Giancarlo
Wels, Volkhard
Topper, David R.
Journals
Journal for the History of Astronomy
Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Bruniana & Campanelliana: Ricerche Filosofiche e Materiali Storico-testuali
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Science
化学史研究 [Kagakushi kenkyū; Journal of the Japanese Society for the History of Chemistry]
Publishers
Olschki
Brill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Springer
Harrassowitz
Concepts
Natural philosophy
Medicine
Soul (philosophy)
Forces
Physics
Astrology
People
Kepler, Johannes
Vallisneri, Antonio
Sennert, Daniel
Galilei, Galileo
Diacinto Cestoni
Spallanzani, Lazzaro
Time Periods
17th century
16th century
Early modern
Renaissance
18th century
15th century
Places
Italy
Europe
Spain
Portugal
Germany
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