Imaginable Impossibilities and Thought Experiments. The Tradition of the Oxford Calculators and its Influence on Early-Modern Logic and Natural Philosophy: CALCULATORES

Programme(s): H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility

Topic(s): MSCA-IF-2018 - Individual Fellowships

Call for proposal: H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

Funding Scheme: MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships

Grant agreement ID: 845061

Project description

Reviewing the history and work of the Calculators

The Calculators were a group of scholars in the early 14th century, linked to the tradition of sophismata. Most logical techniques used by them were applied to the discussion of mathematical and physical issues – mainly aimed at challenging and revising parts of the Aristotelian physics. The EU-funded project CALCULATORES aims to review our knowledge of the Calculators’ tradition in the academic and cultural context. The project combines many disciplines into investigating authors that have played an important role in the history of philosophy and science. Particular emphasis will be placed on uncovering philosophical issues concerning the nature of modalities and the role that thought experiments play in philosophical and scientific methodology.

Objective

The project aims to investigate the tradition of the Oxford Calculators and the influence their works had on early-modern logic and natural philosophy. The Calculators were a group of scholars active in 1325-1350, connected to the tradition of sophismata. An element of novelty in their works is that logical techniques were usually applied to the discussion of mathematical and physical issues. Moreover, their sophismata often involved the use of thought experiments, aimed at challenging and revising parts of the Aristotelian physics, in which many sorts of intricate non-naturalistic cases and impossible scenarios were posited as imaginable. The project firstly aims at reviewing our knowledge of the Calculators’ tradition, along with their academic and cultural context. This will be done mainly through a historical methodology, combining paleographical techniques and archival research. The second objective is to assess whether the Calculators developed a consistent theory of modalities, and how this would be connected to other theories available in the 13th and 14th century. This will require cataloguing and analysing the use of imaginable cases, and individuating the various senses of possibility that are at play in them. A third aim is to evaluate the impact that the Calculators’ works had on early-modern philosophy, and to determine to what extent the Calculators’ achievements in the areas of mathematics and physics (together with their thought-experiment methodology) contributed to the shift from medieval scientific paradigms to a modern view of science. The project combines many disciplines into investigating authors that have played an important - albeit overlooked - role in the history of philosophy and science. Besides its historical interest, the project is related to many significant philosophical issues, such as the ones concerning the nature and varieties of modalities, or the role that thought experiments play in philosophical and scientific methodology.