Project description
Rethinking hylomorphism in early modern Europe
Hylomorphism, the philosophical theory that all physical objects consist of matter and form, has shaped philosophy for over two millennia. It became central to scholastic thought from around 1200, but it remains unclear how the theory developed during the transformative period 1400-1600 in Europe, a time marked by humanism, the Reformation and the rise of universities. The ERC-funded TRANSFORM project investigates how hylomorphic thought developed in late medieval and early modern Europe. It will catalogue manuscripts and early prints, analyse key debates and situate ideas within their educational and cultural contexts. The findings will shed light on the intellectual currents that bridged medieval and modern thought and offer fresh perspectives on the history of philosophy and science.
Objective
TRANSFORM investigates the development of hylomorphism – the philosophical theory that every physical object is composed of structurable matter and structuring form (“hyle” and “morphe” in Greek) – in the period 1400-1600. For most of its 2500-year history, from its Aristotelian beginnings to modern-day metaphysics, hylomorphism has been a fundamental philosophical notion. From around 1200, when the works of Aristotle and his Arabic commentators were translated into Latin, hylomorphism became central to scholastic thought, underpinning theories in, for example, cosmology, psychology, medicine, and theology. TRANSFORM focuses on the largely unstudied hylomorphic theory in the era of the first European-wide university network, of new cultural impulses like humanism and Reformation, and of philosophical, scientific, and medical ferment. TRANSFORM’s research hypothesis is that in order to properly understand major aspects of late-medieval and Early-Modern thought, we must first understand the transformation of hylomorphic thought in the period 1400-1600. To show this, the project proceeds in three steps: First, cataloguing the period’s hylomorphic texts (in manuscripts and in early prints). Second, through close analysis of selected thinkers and debates, studying the evolution of the period’s hylomorphism and bringing the important and new positions, arguments, and methods to light. Third, producing a synthetic view of late-scholastic hylomorphic thought including contextual issues, such as: what role did the period’s universities and other educational institutions play in the spread of hylomorphic ideas? How did the new intellectual and religious impulses affect the hylomorphic discussion? Conducting groundbreaking research, TRANSFORM will illuminate for the first time this pivotal chapter in hylomorphism’s history as the medieval world turned to the modern, offering new insights to change our view of medieval and Early Modern intellectual history more broadly.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- social sciences psychology
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion philosophy metaphysics
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy physical cosmology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-ADG
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3000 LEUVEN
Belgium
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