Fragmented Nature Medieval Latinate Reasoning on the Natural World and Its Order [#432703]

Mattia Cipriani, "Fragmented Nature: Medieval Latinate Reasoning on the Natural World and Its Order "
English | ISBN: 0367557037 | 2022 | 220 pages | PDF | 23 MB
The Latin Middle Ages were characterised by a vast array of different representations of nature. These conceptualisations of the natural world were developed according to the specific requirements of many different disciplines, with the consequent result of producing a fragmentation of images of nature. Despite this plurality, two main tendencies emerged. On the one hand, the natural world was seen as a reflection of God's perfection, teleologically ordered and structurally harmonious. On the other, it was also considered as a degraded version of the spiritual realm - a world of impeccable ideas, separate substances, and celestial movers.