Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GEOANATOMY (Geoanatomy. The Body as a Model in Greco-Roman Conceptions of the Earth and the Environment)
Período documentado: 2020-11-01 hasta 2022-10-31
A large number of ancient Greek and Roman thinkers pursue a peculiar course of reasoning, what I call the ‘medical argument’, in order to explain the structure and functioning of the surrounding world, weather and astronomical phenomena: specifically they use analogies with the (human/animal/plant) body to explain natural phenomena, such as wind, clouds, earthquakes, comets and hydrological activity. This Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship has allowed a young researcher of proven ability to investigate this idea further in an internationally renowned institution (Utrecht University) under the mentorship of an expert on Classical studies (Professor Dr. Teun Tieleman). New findings have been made, and new avenues of research have been opened in our understanding of how natural philosophers such as Aristotle, Lucretius and Seneca conceived of ‘lofty things’, environmental surroundings and geological phenomena and how they attempted to explain their causes.
To elucidate the purpose of employing the medical argument, the following immediate objectives were initially set:
(1) to re-examine the relationship between ancient biomedicine and natural philosophy, two disciplines which are traditionally thought to have had clearly demarcated boundaries;
(2) to clearly identify the ‘fruit’ of this cross-boundary scientific collaborative amalgam;
(3) to advance awareness in both the academic world and the wider public of issues concerning proto-ecology and care for the environment by disseminating a new perspective of interpreting medical explanations embedded in ancient meteorological accounts.
To elucidate the purpose of employing the medical argument, the following immediate objectives were initially set:
(1) to re-examine the relationship between ancient biomedicine and natural philosophy, two disciplines which are traditionally thought to have had clearly demarcated boundaries;
(2) to clearly identify the ‘fruit’ of this cross-boundary scientific collaborative amalgam;
(3) to advance awareness in both the academic world and the wider public of issues concerning proto-ecology and care for the environment by disseminating a new perspective of interpreting medical explanations embedded in ancient meteorological accounts.
Work was conducted via 4 work packages (WPs). WP1 (months 1-13) included several parallel steps: teaching 3 courses (MA & BA) at Utrecht University; studying meticulously Plato’s account of cosmic and human physiology in the Timaeus as well as the relevant bibliography on the topic; gathering and classifying the relevant textual material found in the natural philosophical treatises of the three philosophers under consideration into three categories (Meteorology [phenomena of the sky, including astronomical phenomena], Environment [phenomena of the natural surroundings], and Geology [phenomena whose source is placed below the surface of the earth]), as well as studying the relevant secondary literature. During this phase the fellow participated in several conferences (with presentation) that will yield 3 scientific publications. WP2 (months 14-21) included searching for potential sources of the medical argument for Aristotle, Lucretius and Seneca and teaching 1 (BA) course at Utrecht University. Moreover, an intern was appointed and important experience was gained in guiding and inspecting the findings of a master student. An international conference was prepared and organised in Utrecht for which the fellow secured €8,000. Several presentations were given to disseminate the project’s results. WP3 (months 22-24) included evaluation of the results of WPs 1 and 2, and the beginning of the writing phase of the monograph. 2 papers were submitted for review. WP4 (months 25-28) involved, apart from working on the monograph, the construction of an interactive platform incorporating a lexicon of meteorological terms found in the relevant works of Aristotle, Lucretius and Seneca (https://www.meteorologybeyondborders.com/(se abrirá en una nueva ventana)). A proposal for the project’s monograph and the full co-edited volume consisting of the conference proceedings and additional papers were submitted for review to Brill.
My present research has shown that the above-mentioned philosophers' analogies based on the body’s structure and functioning should not be regarded as mere adoptions of the cosmological ideas Plato puts forward in his Timaeus. On the contrary, we find them frequently using the microcosmic level (living body) as their basis to reflect, account for and instruct on macrocosmic observable natural, earthly, or, in general, worldly phenomena. They employ the medical argument as a key therapeutic means for combatting weather phobias. In addition, they recognise that considerable commonality exists between the human self and the environment, in the sense of common operational ‘mechanisms’ that lead to self-maintenance; in that respect they aim at making non-specialists knowledgeable precisely about this commonality. Thus this research poses broader and impactful questions about the relation and interaction between science, philosophy and environmental studies. My research findings have opened the path to investigating the various ways of utilising analogical concepts focusing on the body in different textual media such as poetry and prose, but also in texts written for different purposes and different audiences. My analysis has identified a certain typology of medical analogies used by Aristotle and Seneca, which opens new avenues of inquiry into the history of the medical argument. Moreover, it invites further research on whether ancient medicine formed the source domain exercising decisive influence on other scientific fields apart from ancient meteorology. Through its findings, we become better informed about an admittedly obscure aspect of the ancient world, namely the nature, interests and educational background of audiences of the past. Most importantly, these findings propose that the first seeds of ecological thinking were planted in antiquity and should be traced in thought experimentations and mental visualisations made by the non-specialist ‘student’ of nature, inasmuch as care of the environment is projected as another, kindred form of caring for oneself, and the other way round.
My present research has shown that the above-mentioned philosophers' analogies based on the body’s structure and functioning should not be regarded as mere adoptions of the cosmological ideas Plato puts forward in his Timaeus. On the contrary, we find them frequently using the microcosmic level (living body) as their basis to reflect, account for and instruct on macrocosmic observable natural, earthly, or, in general, worldly phenomena. They employ the medical argument as a key therapeutic means for combatting weather phobias. In addition, they recognise that considerable commonality exists between the human self and the environment, in the sense of common operational ‘mechanisms’ that lead to self-maintenance; in that respect they aim at making non-specialists knowledgeable precisely about this commonality. Thus this research poses broader and impactful questions about the relation and interaction between science, philosophy and environmental studies. My research findings have opened the path to investigating the various ways of utilising analogical concepts focusing on the body in different textual media such as poetry and prose, but also in texts written for different purposes and different audiences. My analysis has identified a certain typology of medical analogies used by Aristotle and Seneca, which opens new avenues of inquiry into the history of the medical argument. Moreover, it invites further research on whether ancient medicine formed the source domain exercising decisive influence on other scientific fields apart from ancient meteorology. Through its findings, we become better informed about an admittedly obscure aspect of the ancient world, namely the nature, interests and educational background of audiences of the past. Most importantly, these findings propose that the first seeds of ecological thinking were planted in antiquity and should be traced in thought experimentations and mental visualisations made by the non-specialist ‘student’ of nature, inasmuch as care of the environment is projected as another, kindred form of caring for oneself, and the other way round.
The completion of this research has endowed the fellow with important trans-sectoral and intercultural theoretical expertise and enhanced her intellectual, communication, organisational and interpersonal skills opening up new career opportunities beyond conventional competencies. The researcher has already gained a new competitive fellowship at the well-known Einstein Centre Chronoi to continue her research in Berlin.
The work performed thanks to this fellowship forms the core of several scientific publications (monograph, edited volume, articles, website) that other researchers will be able to build on. Targeting fellow researchers and university students, the monograph and the scientific papers will introduce new topics of discussion regarding the impact of the art of medicine on ancient interpretation of natural phenomena and the environment. The edited volume resulting from the international conference Meteorology beyond Borders supported by this fellowship, will break new ground not only in its being the first-ever collective volume on the topic at hand, and indeed openly accessible upon publication by Brill, but also in responding to the question of how early modern and modern meteorology harks back to its ancient predecessor. The interactive website, which is already openly accessible, is updated continuously by a number of experts among whom a physicist/astronomer (Prof. S.Hoffmann) and a meteorologist (G.Toth MSc), thus targeting both the academic and the wider public and increasing the utility value of the project’s findings beyond academia and the period of the fellowship.
The work performed thanks to this fellowship forms the core of several scientific publications (monograph, edited volume, articles, website) that other researchers will be able to build on. Targeting fellow researchers and university students, the monograph and the scientific papers will introduce new topics of discussion regarding the impact of the art of medicine on ancient interpretation of natural phenomena and the environment. The edited volume resulting from the international conference Meteorology beyond Borders supported by this fellowship, will break new ground not only in its being the first-ever collective volume on the topic at hand, and indeed openly accessible upon publication by Brill, but also in responding to the question of how early modern and modern meteorology harks back to its ancient predecessor. The interactive website, which is already openly accessible, is updated continuously by a number of experts among whom a physicist/astronomer (Prof. S.Hoffmann) and a meteorologist (G.Toth MSc), thus targeting both the academic and the wider public and increasing the utility value of the project’s findings beyond academia and the period of the fellowship.