The role of the strange and inexplicable in the corpus of Arabic, Persian and Latin medieval texts
Place de l’étrange, du surprenant, de l’inexplicable dans le corpus des textes médiévaux en langue arabe, persane et latine
First day: examining the attitude of scholars
Première journée : L’examen de l’attitude des savants
Published on Monday, September 26, 2016
Abstract
The corpus of medieval texts concerning Physics and/or Life sciences describes numerous surprising phenomena, which cannot be explained by the common concepts of the time. A number of examples can be mentioned here: Various cures with or without medicines; Animal behavior: animal reproduction, molting, (or sloughing, shedding, ecdysis), metamorphosis, adaptation; Strange phenomena, or strange beings (aliens) described by travelers, or people one can trust; The attraction of body to another body, repulsion of body, the weights and the measures.
Announcement
Organisation
M. Katouzian-Safadi (CNRS, SPHERE – CHSPAM)
The corpus of medieval texts concerning Physics and/or Life sciences describes numerous surprising phenomena, which cannot be explained by the common concepts of the time. A number of examples can be mentioned here:
- Various cures with or without medicines.
- Animal behavior: animal reproduction, molting, (or sloughing, shedding, ecdysis), metamorphosis, adaptation.
- Strange phenomena, or strange beings (aliens) described by travelers, or people one can trust.
- The attraction of body to another body, repulsion of body, the weights and the measures.
During each presentation, we wish first to describe the phenomena (animal behavior, strange observation, quality of plant …) and underline the particularity of observed phenomena in comparison with knowledge or habits. Secondly, we would like to consider the attitude of the scholar with this phenomenon: How does he describe it? His position on an eventual causality? How the scholar does relate it? He can accept or refuse it. In this Workshop, we focus on various reactions of scholars by avoiding category of thought for his attitude.
Program
October 20, 9:00 – 18:00, University Paris Diderot*
- Ahmed AARAB (Pr, Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Tanger) The attitude of Ğāḥiẓ (d. 868) towards certain zoological phenomena.
- Meyssa BENSAAD (Chercheur associé, CNRS, SPHERE–CHSPAM) The ability of al- Ğāhiẓ (776-868) to treat the extraordinary phenomena: the concept of ʽağīb according to al- Ğāhiẓ.
- Younes KARAMATI (Department of History of Science, Tehran University) The oldest texts of abdāl or substitute drugs and des equivalences between remedies.
- Mehrnaz KATOUZIAN-SAFADI (CNRS, SPHERE – CHSPAM) The physician’s choice between body requirements and medication: some suggestions of Razes (d. 925) about the properties and virtues of remedies.
- Kaouthar LAMOUCHI-CHEBBI (Doctorante, Univ. D. Diderot - P7, & enseignante, Université de la Manouba, Tunis) Discussions about spontaneous generation in Kitāb-al-Ḥayawān of Ğāḥiẓ.
- Philippe LHERMINIER (Pr et Secrétaire de la Société zoologique de France, Vice-Président de la Société de Mythologie Française) The book of animals by Isidore of Seville (d. 636), is it the defeat of science or another way of thinking?
- Fatemeh MEHRI (Academy of Persian Language and Literature, Tehran) The Prefaces of ‘Ağāib-nāmeh’, (writings on the surprising things): Texts and the subject of Property.
- Philippe PROVENÇAL (Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle du Danemark) The accurate observations of ’Abd al-Latīf al-Bagdādī and the paradigm of the Classical Period
- Sabine ROMMEVAUX-TANI (CNRS, SPHERE) Thought experiments and use of "experimenta" in an anonymous text of natural philosophy: the De sex inconvenientibus (14th century)
Access
Université Paris Diderot, bâtiment Condorcet, 4 rue Elsa Morante, 75013 Paris
Metro : lignes 14 and RER C, arrêt : Bibliothèque François Mitterrand ou ligne 6, arrêt : Quai de la gare. Bus : 62 and 89 (arrêt : Bibliothèque rue Mann), 325 (arrêt : Watt), 64 (arrêt : Tolbiac-Bibliothèque François Mitterrand)
Subjects
- Middle Ages (Main category)
- Society > Science studies > History of science
Places
- 4e étage - Université paris Diderot, bâtiment Condorcet, 4 rue Elsa Morante
Paris, France (75013)
Date(s)
- Thursday, October 20, 2016
Attached files
Keywords
- arabic, medecine, Kitab-al-Hayawan, Razi, Gahiz, zoology, Yahyà bin al-Bitrīq
Contact(s)
- Nad Fachard
courriel : nad [dot] fachard [at] univ-paris-diderot [dot] fr
Information source
- Nad Fachard
courriel : nad [dot] fachard [at] univ-paris-diderot [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« The role of the strange and inexplicable in the corpus of Arabic, Persian and Latin medieval texts », Study days, Calenda, Published on Monday, September 26, 2016, https://doi.org/10.58079/vsc
