The science and philosophy of the greatest scientific mind of the Middle Ages, with Fr Thomas Davenport, OP, PhD, Asst Professor of Physics, Providence College.
St. Albert the Great (1200-1280) was a Dominican priest, theologian, administrator, and bishop who was named a Doctor of the Church in 1931 and the patron saint of scientists in 1941. What does a mendicant friar who lived 300 years before the scientific revolution have to say to today’s scientists? In this lecture, I present the pivotal role that Albertus Magnus played in establishing the study of nature as a worthwhile and independent discipline, a fact that was not widely accepted by his predecessors. In addition I will present as a taste of his own voluminous works on nature in general and in its minute detail. Further, I argue that, while the study of nature has far surpassed anything Albert could have imagined, the foundation for understanding what natural science is and how it relates to philosophy, whether a philosophy of the natural world or more proper metaphysics, and to theology, can best be answered using the ideas and tools that Albert laid down in his own day.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are subject to deletion if they are not germane. I have no problem with a bit of colourful language, but blasphemy or depraved profanity will not be allowed. Attacks on the Catholic Faith will not be tolerated. Comments will be deleted that are republican (Yanks! Note the lower case 'r'!), attacks on the legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV as the Vicar of Christ, the legitimacy of the House of Windsor or of the claims of the Elder Line of the House of France, or attacks on the legitimacy of any of the currently ruling Houses of Europe.