Aristotelian Metaphysics of the Vegetative Soul and Early Modern Plant Physiology: Comparison between Plant Functions in Aristotle, Pseudo-Aristotle, and Cesalpino
Hiernaux, Quentin; Tresnie, Corentin
2023 • In Baldassari, Fabrizio; Martin, Craig (Eds.) Andrea Cesalpino and Renaissance Aristotelianism: Natural Philosophy in the Sixteenth Century
théorie de l'âme; aristotélisme; Cesalpino; pseudo-Aristote; Nicolas Damascène
Abstract :
[en] Cesalpino was an innovative botanist as well as a conservative Aristotelian philosopher. Even concerning plants, he used Aristotelian and pseudo-Aristotelian works as authoritative references. In this chapter, we trace the evolution of Aristotelian ideas about the main faculties of plants (nutrition, generation, reproduction) from Aristotle to Theophrastus and Nicolaus Damascenis, then to Cesalpino. Our comparison reveals that Cesalpino followed very faithfully Aristotle's arguments, while at the same time accomodating them to material foreign to Aristotle. This material is both textual and empiricial. First, there are suggestions in early modern versions of Nicolaus' text about the possibility of movement and sensation in plants, which was rejected by Aristotle. Second, Cesalpino had access to species and observation unavailable to Aristotle and early Aristotelians. We argue that Cesalpino attempted a synthesis between this challenging new material and Aristotelian philosophical orthodoxy.
Disciplines :
Philosophy & ethics Arts & humanities: Multidisciplinary, general & others Phytobiology (plant sciences, forestry, mycology...)
Author, co-author :
Hiernaux, Quentin
Tresnie, Corentin ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de philosophie > Philosophie de l'éducation
Language :
English
Title :
Aristotelian Metaphysics of the Vegetative Soul and Early Modern Plant Physiology: Comparison between Plant Functions in Aristotle, Pseudo-Aristotle, and Cesalpino
Alternative titles :
[fr] Métaphysique aristotélicienne de l'âme végétative et physiologie moderne : Une comparaison des fonctions végétales chez Aristote, le pseudo-Aristote et Cesalpino
Publication date :
2023
Main work title :
Andrea Cesalpino and Renaissance Aristotelianism: Natural Philosophy in the Sixteenth Century
Main work alternative title :
[fr] Andrea Cesalpino et l'aristotélisme de la Renaissance : La philosophie naturelle au seizième siècle
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