Academic literature on the topic 'Science, Medieval'

The gradual blending of classical science and epistemology with indigenous/traditional practices and modes of understanding (particularly magic and religion) in the early western Middle Ages tends to be misunderstood. The purpose of this study is to address the reason(s) why the early medieval West has been labeled an irrational, unscientific â Dark Ageâ in order to point out that this conceptionâ s existence has more to do with limited historical perspectives than with reality. The anachronistic superimposition of modern presuppositions and methodological expectations is a very old phenomenon. Ironically, however, it has crept into the history of science and extended to ostensibly objective â scientificâ historiography to such a degree that dismissiveness regarding the other ways of knowing that have informed our scientific and epistemological development frequently tends to obscure historical continuity. My goal in this undertaking is to firmly establish how we may understand that the intellectual revolution beginning in twelfth-century Europe was founded on a rich and multifarious tradition of knowledge and understanding; the preceding seven or eight centuries of the early Middle Ages was not one of intellectual â darknessâ and should not be discarded as such. The approach I have taken is intended to demonstrate, rather than simply state, this goal by roughly imitating of the process of intellectual transmission in the early Middle Ages. Therefore, primary sources are supplemented by numerous secondary interpretations from various academic disciplines in the hope that collecting and reforming ideas in this fashion will draw out the inherent connectivity of ideological thought structures and approaches to the natural world.<br>Master of Arts

Inhalt 1. Vorüberlegungen Der isländische Freistaat und die Gewalt Sozialer Status und kriegerisches Selbstverständnis Europäischer Kontext und Waffentechnologie 2. Fragestellung der Arbeit Wie wurde im mittelalterlichen Island gekämpft? Wurde der Umgang mit Waffen im mittelalterlichen Island trainiert? 3. Methode 4. Isländische Perspektive Historisch-literaturwissenschaftlicher Zugang Archäologischer Zugang Osteoarchäologischer Zugang 5. Außerisländische Perspektive Ethnologischer Zugang Experimentalarchäologischer / praktisch-fechterischer Zugang 6. Antworten und Ausblick Bedeutung für die Disziplinen Hoplologie?

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO<br>COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DO PESSOAL DE ENSINO SUPERIOR<br>PROGRAMA DE SUPORTE À PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO DE INSTS. DE ENSINO<br>Alexandre Koyré e Alistair Crombie, filósofos e historiadores da ciência, discutem vivamente a respeito da possibilidade de haver uma continuidade ou descontinuidade entre as ciências medieval e moderna, problematizando aspectos fundamentais da metodologia científica nestes dois períodos históricos, gerando um impasse a respeito do lugar histórico da Revolução Científica. Aliado à questão histórica do continuísmo ou descontinuísmo, estão os aspectos internalista e externalista na história das ciências, onde se discute se as teorias científicas, bem como a construção do próprio método científico são ou não produzidas por elementos exteriores a elas (aspectos políticos, econômicos etc.). Crombie sugere que a Revolução Científica seja fruto de uma nova concepção metodológica (método experimental) surgida no século XIII, através de Roberto Grosseteste e que Galileu e os cientistas modernos foram herdeiros desta nova concepção metodológica, porém levando-a à perfeição epistemológica. Koyré discorda desta visão crombiana apontando para o aspecto metafísico do pensamento moderno, que seria a construção de uma nova concepção de realidade refletida na nova metodologia científica.<br>Crombie and Koyré, philosophers and historians of sience, argue strongly about the possibility of continuity or discontinuity between the medieval and modern sciences, questioning fundamental aspects of scientific methodology in these two historic periods, generating an impasse regarding the history location of Scientific Revolution. Allied to this historic discussion about continuity or discontinuity, are the epistemological aspects of internalism and externalism in the history of science, where it discusses whether scientific theories, as well as the construction of own scientific method are or not produced by foreign elements to them (political, economic aspects etc.). Crombie suggests that scientific revolution is the result of a new methodological concept (experimental method) that arose in the 13th century, by Robert Grosseteste and that Galileo and modern scientists were heirs of this new methodological conception, but taking it to the epistemological perfection. Koyré disagrees with this crombian view pointing to metaphysical aspect of the modern thought, which would be the construction of a new conception of reality reflected in the new scientific methodology.

Although historical studies are frequently perceived as clear narratives defined by a series of fixed events; in reality, even where critical historical events may be identified, historic documentation frequently lacks corroborative detail to support verifiable interpretation. Consequently, interpretation rarely rises above the level of unproven assertion and is rarely tested against a range of evidence. Agent-based simulation can provide an opportunity to break these cycles of academic claim and counter-claim. This thesis discusses the development of an agent-based simulation designed to investigate medieval military logistics so that new evidence may be generated to supplement existing historical analysis. It uses as a case-study the Byzantine army’s march to the battle of Manzikert (AD 1071), a key event in medieval history. It describes the design and implementation of a series of agent-based models and presents the results of these models. The analysis of these results shows that agent-based modelling is a powerful tool in investigating the practical limitations faced by medieval armies on campaign.

This dissertation explores the medicinal use of poisons in China from the third to the tenth century, which is when the major outlines of Chinese toxicological thought took shape. Challenging a widespread view that contrasts the benign naturalness of Chinese herbal remedies with the dangerous side effects of Western synthetic drugs, my research highlights the centrality of poisons to the practice and theory of medicine in China. Chinese doctors regularly relied on a large number of substances that they recognized as toxic to combat sickness, and identified toxicity as the central pillar for the classification of drugs. I argue that the boundary between poisons and medicines was always hazy in medieval China; it was not the substance itself, but how it was used and experienced that mattered. To examine this crucial yet ignored feature of Chinese medicine, my dissertation develops the following themes. The first is that drugs in medieval China were not fixed entities with unique effects. The effect of a given substance—whether it healed as a medicine, or sickened or killed as a poison, or altered a person in myriad other ways—varied both with usage and with processing. Subsequently, Chinese doctors developed a variety of techniques (the dosage, the drug combination, and the drug preparation) to mitigate the toxicity of a poison while preserving its therapeutic potency. Secondly, I highlight the intimate relation between bodily experience and the understanding of poisons. By studying the alchemical practice of ingesting toxic minerals, I show that the violent bodily effects induced by these substances were often perceived as confirmations of efficacy rather than worrying signs of pathology. My third theme is the circulation of toxicological knowledge across geographical and social domains. I argue that standardized textual knowledge propagated by the state was fluidly transformed in practice, contingent upon the availability of pharmacological ingredients and the needs of local people. Finally, I turn to non-poisons, especially foods, in Chinese pharmacy, and identify a distinctive character of Chinese medicine—the ingestion of mild substances to nourish the body and prolong life. Chinese medicine thus developed through the interaction of two related, but distinct enterprises—the fight against sickness, and the quest for ever-enhanced vitality.<br>History of Science

This dissertation examines the Liber consolationis phisonomie by Pietro d'Abano (c. 1250-1316) and places the work both in the context of medieval psychological theories and of scholastic culture. Physiognomy, the practice of studying a person's physical appearance in order to discern his or her emotions, personality, moral character, and intellectual capacities, rests on the assumption that the physical body is somehow connected to the spiritual self. This study explores how medieval people conceived of that relationship through a broader examination of theories about emotion, personality, and intelligence. Pietro d'Abano was an unusual figure who bridged the occupational identities of physician and philosopher, just as the study of psychology bridged the disciplines of medicine and philosophy. Pietro was highly materialist in his conception of human nature. While scholars of Pietro's work have noticed this tendency in his more mature thought, especially his medical text the Conciliator, his Liber consolationis phisonomie, his earliest known work, has been largely overlooked. This is understandable, as it is largely an aphoristic summary of what physical traits indicate what mental ones. However, it provides valuable insights into the development of Pietro's thought as well as the role of physiognomy in medieval learned and popular culture. This study concludes with an examination of Pietro's legacy, namely the reputation he obtained in the Renaissance for being a magician. It examines medieval theories about magic, the role of spurious attributions in creating textual authority, and how Pietro's own materialist conception of the universe and human nature may have contributed to his constructed posthumous identity.