Article ID: CBB001450276

Die Geometrie der Bienenwabe: Albertus Magnus, Karl von Baer und die Debatte über das Vorstellungsvermögen und die Seele der Insekten zwischen Mittelalter und Neuzeit (2013)

unapi

How to explain the architectonic skills of insects, best represented by the hexagonal structure of the honeycomb? This was one of the most striking puzzles in the history of science and epistemology. How was such a lowly animal able to construct complex structures, which obviously imitated geometrical patterns? How could the obvious gap between the product and its maker be explained? These questions ignited a debate that started with Albert the Great in the High Middle Ages and included such figures as Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon, the Cartesians, Johannes Kepler, as well as philosophically trained natural scientists like Georges Buffon, René-Antoine Réaumur, Charles Bonnet, and of course Charles Darwin and the outstanding naturalists of the 19th and 20th century. Taking the skills of the bee as a starting point, the present paper reconstructs this long discussion of insect architecture and insect intelligence, and tries to uncover its medieval beginnings. Although in the early modern period the amount of relevant empirical observation grew continuously, nevertheless the solutions to the riddle of the honeycomb followed patterns that remained almost unchanged since the time of Albert the Great.

...More

Description On the long discussion of insect architecture and insect intelligence, focusing on its medieval beginnings.


Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001450276/

Similar Citations

Book Faye, Jan; (2005)
Nature's Principles (/isis/citation/CBB000650331/)

Book Omnès, Roland; (2005)
Converging Realities: Toward a Common Philosophy of Physics and Mathematics (/isis/citation/CBB000610304/)

Article Diéguez, Antonio; (2013)
When do Models Provide Genuine Understanding, and Why Does It Matter? (/isis/citation/CBB001420762/)

Article Aderemi Artis; (2022)
The Concept of Changing Laws of Nature in the Baconian Corpus from 1597 to 1623 (/isis/citation/CBB403163390/)

Book Crocker, Robert; (2001)
Religion, Reason, and Nature in Early Modern Europe (/isis/citation/CBB000500886/)

Article DiSalle, Robert; (2013)
The Transcendental Method from Newton to Kant (/isis/citation/CBB001320267/)

Chapter Ulrich, Paul; (2009)
Hobbe's Natural Condition and his Natural Science of the Mind in Leviathan (/isis/citation/CBB001201159/)

Article Bruno Á. Granada; (2022)
Bruno e Campanella sulle novità celesti e le leggi di natura (/isis/citation/CBB852208750/)

Book Kullmann, Wolfgang; (2010)
Naturgesetz in der Vorstellung der Antike, besonders der Stoa: Eine Begriffsuntersuchung (/isis/citation/CBB001220039/)

Book Daston, Lorraine; Stolleis, Michael; (2008)
Natural Law and Laws of Nature in Early Modern Europe: Jurisprudence, Theology, Moral and Natural Philosophy (/isis/citation/CBB000950394/)

Article Pessin, Andrew; (2003)
Descartes' Nomic Concurrentism: Finite Causation and Divine Concurrence (/isis/citation/CBB000500776/)

Article Paravicini Bagliani, Agostino; (2013)
La légende médiévale d'Albert le Grand (1270--1435). Premières recherches (/isis/citation/CBB001420836/)

Book Grant, Edward; Biard, J.; Rommevaux, S.; (2012)
La nature et le vide dans la physique médiévale: études dédiées à Edward Grant (/isis/citation/CBB001211956/)

Article Pesic, Peter; (2014)
Francis Bacon, Violence, and the Motion of Liberty: The Aristotelian Background (/isis/citation/CBB001201305/)

Authors & Contributors
Raizman-Kedar, Yael
Bruno Á. Granada
Eric, Cindy Hodoba
Pessin, Andrew
Ulrich, Paul
Stolleis, Michael
Concepts
Natural philosophy
Natural laws
Philosophy of science
Mathematics and its relationship to nature
Philosophy
Nature
Time Periods
17th century
Medieval
13th century
Ancient
18th century
16th century
Places
England
Greece
Europe
Great Britain
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment