Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HYLOGLOB (Hylomorphism in a Globalizing World: Scholastic Debates on the Ontology of Nature Across Europe, China, and New Spain)
Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2025-09-30
HYLOGLOB aimed to reconstruct the specificities of a long-forgotten philosophical debate on the metaphysical constitution of nature that took place in 16th-century Europe. The main figures in this debate were all Aristotelian philosophers, and, like their medieval predecessors, they envisioned nature as hylomorphically structured. For them all natural things are made of two metaphysical constituents: matter and form. The form serves as the blueprint of the natural object, expressing its rules of behaviour and, by joining with matter, causing its existence. In turn, matter, especially in its metaphysical state of “prime matter”, serves as a substrate for the reception of forms. Inherited from Aristotle, the hylomorphic model underwent significant updates during the Middle Ages, and the centuries-long debate, starting in the late 12th century, reached early modern Europe in a constant process of emendation and refinement.
The 16th century witnessed a remarkable array of cultural, social, and philosophical transformations – an age of discovery for Europeans, deeply marred by reprehensible acts of violence and conquest. The colonisation of the Americas brought forth an immense collection of new data on the natural world and its functioning to Europe. Similarly, the expeditions to Asian countries, including India and particularly China, though deplorable, led to the discovery of cultural and philosophical traditions. On the one hand, these traditions traced back to the origins of European philosophy itself; on the other, they exhibited profound differences in their conceptions of nature and human beings. Concurrently, a new approach to methodical practices in the study of nature steadily emerged from the refinement of natural and mathematical sciences such as alchemy and astronomy – the initial seeds of a scientific revolution that would reach its peak in the 17th century but whose de-structuring influence appears to have already impacted 16th-century Aristotelianism, albeit gradually.
Given this context, HYLOGLOB’s primary objective was the reconstruction of how 16th-century philosophers emended the hylomorphic model to align it with the new data, theories, and trends that emerged from the gradual turn to modernity. In doing so, the project also aimed to shed light on the use of the hylomorphic models in two crucial philosophical ventures: the European attempts to understand the theories proposed by the 宋明理学 and the establishment of “colonial scholasticism” in New Spain.
The 16th century witnessed a remarkable array of cultural, social, and philosophical transformations – an age of discovery for Europeans, deeply marred by reprehensible acts of violence and conquest. The colonisation of the Americas brought forth an immense collection of new data on the natural world and its functioning to Europe. Similarly, the expeditions to Asian countries, including India and particularly China, though deplorable, led to the discovery of cultural and philosophical traditions. On the one hand, these traditions traced back to the origins of European philosophy itself; on the other, they exhibited profound differences in their conceptions of nature and human beings. Concurrently, a new approach to methodical practices in the study of nature steadily emerged from the refinement of natural and mathematical sciences such as alchemy and astronomy – the initial seeds of a scientific revolution that would reach its peak in the 17th century but whose de-structuring influence appears to have already impacted 16th-century Aristotelianism, albeit gradually.
Given this context, HYLOGLOB’s primary objective was the reconstruction of how 16th-century philosophers emended the hylomorphic model to align it with the new data, theories, and trends that emerged from the gradual turn to modernity. In doing so, the project also aimed to shed light on the use of the hylomorphic models in two crucial philosophical ventures: the European attempts to understand the theories proposed by the 宋明理学 and the establishment of “colonial scholasticism” in New Spain.
HYLOGLOB’s implementation was abruptly interrupted after only three months due to the main researcher being offered a permanent position at a European university. The sudden termination of the project within such a short timeframe meant that most of the planned objectives were not met. The initial stage of the research provided essential data, including (1) the transcription of primary sources, (2) the reconstruction of the global circulation of philosophical works, and (3) the analysis of philosophical theories. These data were also used to develop a (4) methodological tool for the comparative examination of Western and Chinese theories about natural constitution, although it has not been finalised.
The formal termination of HYLOGLOB, however, does not imply the conclusion of its research. On the contrary, the data collected during the three months of its implementation serve as the foundation for follow-up research that the researcher will carry out at his new institution. From this perspective, HYLOGLOB has proven crucial for the researcher in terms of both career and research. Regarding the former, the MSCA-IF Fellowship undoubtedly contributed to the researcher’s selection for the permanent position that led to the project’s termination. As for the latter, the data collected during the project implementation, the training received at the Host and Secondment Institutions, and the collaborative network extended during the researcher’s visiting stay in Beijing are central to the follow-up research that the researcher will conduct in the near future.
The formal termination of HYLOGLOB, however, does not imply the conclusion of its research. On the contrary, the data collected during the three months of its implementation serve as the foundation for follow-up research that the researcher will carry out at his new institution. From this perspective, HYLOGLOB has proven crucial for the researcher in terms of both career and research. Regarding the former, the MSCA-IF Fellowship undoubtedly contributed to the researcher’s selection for the permanent position that led to the project’s termination. As for the latter, the data collected during the project implementation, the training received at the Host and Secondment Institutions, and the collaborative network extended during the researcher’s visiting stay in Beijing are central to the follow-up research that the researcher will conduct in the near future.
Given the short period of its implementation, HYLOGLOB did not manage to produce many outputs, at least not directly. However, indirectly, its initial results serve as the foundation for new research that is already yielding new outcomes. Regarding dissemination, throughout the implementation period, the researcher delivered four lectures (at Peking University, Tsinghua University, Sun Yat-sen University, and UC Louvain) on the main topics discussed by HYLOGLOB, and a guest research seminar (1 month) on hylomorphism at USTB Beijing. The researcher has also submitted an article on the 16th-century demonstrations of the existence of prime matter, which has been accepted by the journal "Dialogoi: Ancient Philosophy Today".
Much still needs to be done to go beyond the scant state of the art available in the subjects HYLOGLOB engaged with. The researcher is committed to filling this gap in the near future through his follow-up research on these topics.
Much still needs to be done to go beyond the scant state of the art available in the subjects HYLOGLOB engaged with. The researcher is committed to filling this gap in the near future through his follow-up research on these topics.