Roberto Zambiasi | KU Leuven (original) (raw)

Conferences Organized by Roberto Zambiasi

Organising committee: Sylvain Roudaut (KU Leuven) and Roberto Zambiasi (KU Leuven). The organisin... more Organising committee: Sylvain Roudaut (KU Leuven) and Roberto Zambiasi (KU Leuven). The organising committee acknowledges the generous financial support of the Fonds Joseph Van de Wiele, the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, KU Leuven Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds and the Hoger Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte.

Conference Presentations by Roberto Zambiasi

For informations on Micrologus Conferences and volumes www.sismel.it

This paper focuses on the analysis of the Copernican Revolution presented by Imre Lakatos in "The... more This paper focuses on the analysis of the Copernican Revolution presented by Imre Lakatos in "The Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes". My claim is that Lakatos’ picture of the Copernican Revolution is incorrect according to his own standards and that this has important consequences for the overall methodology of scientific research programmes. Lakatos considered heliocentrism to represent the hard core of the Copernican research programme, and the uniform circular motion of the celestial spheres as an auxiliary hypothesis within the positive heuristic of the programme. I show that a much more plausible hypothesis for Lakatos would be to consider the uniform circular motion of the celestial spheres as its hard core and heliocentrism as a mere auxiliary hypothesis. Indeed, it is now well-known that the heliocentric hypothesis had already been proposed in the Antiquity within what Lakatos calls the ‘Pythagorean Platonic research programme', whereas nobody until Kepler had ever tried to question the principle of (uniform) circular motion of the heavenly bodies. Therefore, I suggest that according to Lakatos’ methodology it would be better to consider the Copernican work a “creative shift” of the Platonic-Pythagorean research programme, and to use the expression of “Keplerian Revolution” to indicate the superseding of the Keplerian
astronomical research programme over the Copernican-Pythagorean-Platonic one. I finally argue that, according to this interpretation, the concept of ‘creative shift’ has a far greater importance than Lakatos thought and that its correct understanding gives rise to a significantly different picture of the methodology of scientific research programmes.

The sense of smell has a significant role to play among the five external senses in Aristotle’s t... more The sense of smell has a significant role to play among the five external senses in Aristotle’s theory of perception and in that of his Medieval commentators. However, whereas analyses of sight and of hearing on one side and of touch and taste on the other have received significant attention by scholars working on the Aristotelian tradition, the same is not true of smell. This is probably due to the intermediate nature of the sense of smell, which is characterized by action at a distance (like sight and hearing), but, at the same time, has as its sensibile proprium the odors, whose formation is closely associated by Aristotle to that of flavors. Nevertheless, it is exactly this intermediate nature of the sense of smell which gives it a crucial role in helping to understand central issues in the whole theory of perception both of Aristotle and of his commentators (e.g. the relation between material and immaterial aspects in perception). By focusing on the analysis of the sense of smell and of its sensibile proprium developed by Thomas Aquinas in his commentaries on the De Anima and on the De Sensu et sensato, the main textual loci where Aristotle deals with the issue, the present paper aims to provide a case study to show how the “received view” on Medieval Aristotelian theory of perception needs to be revisited and modified when it is looked at from the point of view of the sense of smell.

Papers by Roberto Zambiasi

by Carlo Altini, Mario DeCaro, costantino esposito, Carla Bagnoli, Antonella Del Prete, Daniele Molinari, Lorenzo Cozzi, Sofia Pirandello, Francesco Malaguti, Francesca Fidelibus, Beatrice Beccari, Elena Fusar Poli, Lorenzo Testa, Federico Rampinini, Guido Bianchini, Edoardo Vaccargiu, Fiorenza Manzo, Roberto Zambiasi, and Marco Miglino

Programma del convegno

Bollettino di studi latini 49/2, 2019

Book Reviews by Roberto Zambiasi

Revue philosophique de la France et de l'étranger, Tome 142/1, 2017

Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Presses Universitaires de France. © Presses Universitai... more Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Presses Universitaires de France. © Presses Universitaires de France. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays.

Drafts by Roberto Zambiasi

Conference and Seminar Invitations by Roberto Zambiasi

Journal Articles by Roberto Zambiasi

British Journal for the History of Philosophy (advance online publication), 2024

This paper compares the conception of substantial change put forth by Peter of Mantua (d. 1399) i... more This paper compares the conception of substantial change put forth by Peter of Mantua (d. 1399) in his "De primo et ultimo instanti" with the one developed by Albert of Saxony (ca. 1320–1390). According to Albert, (i) each substantial form, save for the intellective soul, is a spatially-extended entity with actual quantitative parts that are co-located with the parts of matter they inform, and (ii) these quantitative parts are generated and corrupted one after another over an extended interval of time. From (i) and (ii), Albert deduces that (iii) the substantial change of material substances as individuals (save for human beings) is a temporally extended process. This is what I call the ‘piecemeal’ conception of substantial change. I show that Peter of Mantua is significantly indebted to this conception. Indeed, he endorses both (i) and (ii). Moreover, he even extends this approach to the process by which the intellective soul informs matter and is separated from it. Nevertheless, I argue that, thanks to his peculiar doctrine of numerical sameness over time, Peter rejects (iii) and maintains, instead, that the substantial change of any material substance as an individual is an instantaneous event.

Keywords: Peter of Mantua; Albert of Saxony; substantial change; quantitative parts; numerical sameness over time.

Vivarium. A Journal for Medieval and Early-Modern Philosophy and Intellectual Life, Vol. 62, Issue 2, 2024

This article examines the doctrine of "minima naturalia" (i.e., the smallest quantity of matter a... more This article examines the doctrine of "minima naturalia" (i.e., the smallest quantity of matter able to preserve the substantial form of a material substance) in three of the earliest extant Latin commentaries on Aristotle's "Physics": the two traditionally ascribed to Roger Bacon (1214/1220-1292), i.e., "Questiones supra libros octo Physicorum Aristotelis" and "Questiones supra libros quatuor Physicorum Aristotelis", and the anonymous "In Physicam Aristotelis", which Rega Wood attributes to Richard Rufus of Cornwall (fl. 1231-1256). The position presented by Bacon in "Questiones supra libros octo Physicorum" displays striking similarities with the one adopted by the author of "In Physicam Aristotelis", but also important differences. Moreover, the fact that the view defended in "Questiones supra libros quatuor Physicorum" is openly rejected in "Questiones supra libros octo Physicorum" provides additional support to Silvia Donati's hypothesis that the former is not an authentic work by Bacon.

Keywords: Richard Rufus of Cornwall; Roger Bacon; Aristotle; "Physics"; "minima naturalia".

American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 97, No. 4, 2023

This article contains a case study of some innovative early fourteenth-century conceptions of the... more This article contains a case study of some innovative early fourteenth-century conceptions of the temporal structure of substantial change. An important tenet of thirteenth-century scholastic hylomorphism is that substantial change is an instantaneous process. In contrast, three early fourteenth-century Aristotelian commentators, first Walter Burley and then John Buridan and Albert of Saxony, progressively develop a view on which substantial change is linked to temporal duration. This process culminated, in Buridan and Albert of Saxony, with the explicit recognition of the temporally extended nature of some (if not most) instances of substantial change. This article sheds light on this neglected episode in the history of late medieval hylomorphism taking as its point of departure these commentators' discussions of the issue of "minima naturalia", i.e., the issue of the lowest possible limit of any division of substantial forms coming about through the potentially infinite division of the matter they inform. In short: is there a piece of matter so small that no substantial form can possibly inhere in it?

Quaestio. Yearbook of the History of Metaphysics, Vol. 23, 2023

The doctrine of the "inchoatio formae" is an important feature of Albert the Great’s metaphysics ... more The doctrine of the "inchoatio formae" is an important feature of Albert the Great’s metaphysics and natural philosophy, as modern scholars, starting at least with Bruno Nardi’s pioneering study, have recognised. Nevertheless, the notion of the "inchoatio formae" as employed by Albert is usually understood to refer exclusively to the relationship between matter and substantial forms. On the contrary, in his commentary on Aristotle’s "De sensu et sensato", and specifically in the context of a discussion of the so-called issue of minima sensibilia", i.e., the limits to the persistence of the accidental forms of sensible qualities according to the potential infinite divisibility of the matter with which they are united (cf. "De sensu" 6, 445b3-446a20), Albert talks explicitly of the "inchoatio formarum sensibilium" (possibly a "hapax legomenon" in the entire "corpus" of his writings), therefore applying the notion of the "inchoatio formae" to the accidental forms of sensible qualities themselves. This article reconstructs the precise meaning and the key features of the "inchoatio formarum sensibilium" in the context of Albert’s "De sensu" commentary and of his discussion of "minima sensibilia" and compares it with the notion of the "inchoatio formae" as applied to substantial forms, showing both the important similarities and the crucial differences between them. In this way, it becomes possible not only to better understand the intrinsic richness and complexity of the concept of the "inchoatio formae" in Albert’s writings, but also to do justice to the variety of functions it serves throughout Albert’s metaphysics and natural philosophy.

Keywords: "inchoatio formae"; "inchoatio formarum sensibilium"; Albert the Great; "De sensu et sensato"; "minima sensibilia".

Doctor Virtualis. Rivista online di filosofia medievale, n. 18, 2023

The article focuses on the analysis of the extended comparison between philosophy and friendship ... more The article focuses on the analysis of the extended comparison between philosophy and friendship advanced by Dante in "Convivio" III, xi, interpreting it as a conscious analogy. Starting from a careful exegesis of the chapter, read as Dante’s peculiar "accessus ad philosophiam", the article goes through the stages of the analogy, and it highlights its main theoretical contents. In this way, it becomes possible to show the relevance of the topic of friendship (especially that between master and student) for a correct understanding of one of the fundamental (and most debated) aspects of philosophical practice as conceived by Dante, i.e., its intrinsically collective character. Moreover, the article underlines that friendship constitutes for Dante one of the essential instruments in order to broaden philosophical knowledge outside of university circles, something that the "Convivio" explicitly purports to do.

Keywords: Dante; "Convivio"; Analogy; Philosophy; Friendship.

Mediaevalia. Textos e Estudos, Vol 41, 2022

Roger Bacon’s theory of perception, grounded in his original conception of "species" and of their... more Roger Bacon’s theory of perception, grounded in his original conception of "species" and of their multiplication and reception, has always been the object of considerable scholarly attention. Yet, modern studies have traditionally focused on Bacon’s mature works. In these works, especially in the "De multiplicatione specierum", Bacon endorses a strong “materialist” position with respect to the kind of being that "species" have in the medium and in the senses. In this paper I show that an alternative conception of the ontology of "species" is presented by Bacon in his commentary on Aristotle’s "De sensu et sensato". This work is situated at a critical juncture in Bacon’s intellectual journey, since it is the last of his extant Aristotelian commentaries, while it precedes all his mature works. As I will argue in this paper, in these works Bacon assigns to "species" an "esse similitudinale", which he explicitly defines as the composition of "esse materiale" and "esse formale". As a result, Bacon did not always deem "species" to be merely composed of "esse materiale". I end by suggesting that this finding might have some implications on the interpretation of Bacon’s mature ontology of "species" as detailed in the "De multiplicatione specierum".

Keywords: Roger Bacon; "Liber de sensu et sensato"; species; perception; "esse similitudinale".

Mediterranea. International Journal on the Transfer of Knowledge, 2023

Review article of: ROLAND BETANCOURT, "Sight, Touch, and Imagination in Byzantium", Cambridge Uni... more Review article of: ROLAND BETANCOURT, "Sight, Touch, and Imagination in Byzantium", Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2018.

Editorial Activity by Roberto Zambiasi

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Mattia Mantovani, Roberto Zambiasi, Gabriella Zuccolin, Introduction – Griet Galle, The Order of ... more Mattia Mantovani, Roberto Zambiasi, Gabriella Zuccolin, Introduction – Griet Galle, The Order of the Parva naturalia in Three Commentaries on De
sensu Associated with Adam of Bockenfield. Implications for the Authenticity Question – Yael Kedar, Roger Bacon’s De sensu Colour Theory – Silvia Donati, Albert the Great on Light in His Commentaries on De anima
and De sensu et sensato – Gabriella Zuccolin, Monkeys, Pygmies, and Human Beings. Sensus disciplinales and the Hierarchy of Living Beings in Albert the Great – Kevin White, Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, and – Carlos Steel, Delectatio liberalis. Aristotle and His Medieval Commentators
on Smell and Why Humans Find Pleasure in It – Véronique Decaix, Do We All Sense the Same Things? Some Medieval Solutions to De sensu 6 – Aurélien Robert, The Diversity of Human Languages and Climate Theory.
Philosophy and Medicine in Medieval Commentaries on Aristotle’s De sensu et sensato – Chiara Beneduce, Utrum tactus sit terrae a dominio. Natural Philosophy and Medicine in Three Fourteenth-Century Questions on De sensu et sensato – Roberto Zambiasi, The Sense of Smell in the Commentary on the De sensu Attributed to Nicole Oresme and to Albert of Saxony – Serena Masolini, Two Commentaries on the De sensu et sensato from Fifteenth-Century Louvain – Christophe Grellard, Parisian Commentaries on De sensu in Late Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Centuries – Leonardo Graciotti, Medicine and Philosophy in Pomponazzi’s Expositio
libelli de sensu et sensato (1524-1525) – Luca Burzelli, A Heated Debate. Pomponazzi and Contarini on the Nature of Fire – Mattia Mantovani, Renatus Democritus. Descartes on Atoms and the Senses