Original scientific paper
The Quality of the Celestial Orb Matter (According to Gučetić)
Mihaela Girardi-Karšulin
; Institut za filozofiju, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
The paper expounds Gučetić’s theses on matter of both the perishable things and the celestial orb, according to his book Commentaria in sermonem Averrois de substantia Orbis, Venetiis 1580. The essential difference between the matters of the perishable things and of the heaven, respectively, according to Gučetić, is that the matter of the perishable things is originally – that is, before any form is introduced – in an indefinite manner three-dimensional and thus quantitatively determined, corporeal; while, on the other hand, the matter of the celestial orb (and this is where difficulties with formulations arise) is a being in itself, it is not potential, not originally dimensional, it is a substance. The function of all these definitions of the matter of the celestial orb is defining the possibility of an infinite, orderly, circular motion of the firmament, and thus defining the possibility of applying mathematics in the calculation and prediction of the orbits of celestial bodies. The ultimate thesis, which is, I believe, intended to establish the possibility of the use of mathematics in astronomy, that is, to explain the causes of the orderly fashion of the motion of the celestial orb, consists of the constatation that the celestial matter is originally a non-spatial, non-dimensional substance, or, in comparison with the matter of other corporeal substances, a minimum of corporeity.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
71690
URI
Publication date:
2.12.2002.
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