Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
SCIENTIA:Non-expert dealings with science in the ancient and pre-modern Mediterranean, Barcelona, İspanya, 26 - 28 Haziran 2025, ss.1-3, (Özet Bildiri)
This paper explores the cosmological views of Aristotle (322 BCE) and Galen (127 CE), focusing on how their ideas intersected and diverged, and how this dynamic shaped the transmission of knowledge across the Mediterranean world. While both Aristotle and Galen adhered to a geocentric model, their approaches to cosmology were grounded in distinct philosophical traditions. Aristotle’s De Caelo presented an eternal, infinite universe driven by celestial perfection and unchanging circular motion, rooted in his broader metaphysical framework. Galen, however, adopted a more eclectic stance, blending empirical observation with Platonic cosmology, as seen in his commentary on Plato’s Timaeus and his works such as De Usu Partium. This paper argues that Galen’s synthesis of Platonic and Aristotelian cosmology exemplifies the intellectual eclecticism that characterized the Mediterranean philosophical tradition. Galen’s rejection of Aristotelian cosmology in favor of a Platonic framework emerged through dialectical exchanges with Aristotelians in Alexandria, including figures like Alexander of Aphrodisias. This eclecticism was not confined to antiquity but profoundly influenced Islamic philosophy during the medieval period. The translation and adaptation of Galen’s works into Arabic catalyzed a rich engagement with his ideas, particularly in Islamic cosmological thought, where philosophers such as al-Fārābī and Ibn Sīnā critically engaged with Galen’s synthesis. Furthermore, this paper highlights how Galen’s eclectic cosmology reached Andalucía, shaping debates in Jewish philosophy, as exemplified by Maimonides’ critique of Galenic cosmology. By tracing the transmission of these ideas across the Mediterranean—spanning Roman intellectual circles, Alexandrian schools, and Islamic and Jewish philosophical traditions— that underscores the dynamic interplay of Aristotelianism, Platonism, and empiricism. It sheds light on the profound role of intellectual eclecticism in fostering a vibrant and enduring philosophical culture in the Mediterranean world.