All Souls Seminar in Medieval and Early Modern Science

Studying nature in medieval Europe was dramatically different from doing it in 1700. In the Middle Ages, nature was made of four elements, the Earth was at the center of the universe, natural knowledge circulated in philosophical manuscripts, and oceanic navigation was practiced only by a few. But by Newton’s time, matter was made of atoms, the Earth rotated around the Sun, mathematicians debated philosophers in printed books, and scholars collected data from across European empires. Historians have often called these changes a Scientific Revolution. But unlike a normal revolution, this one happened slowly, alongside major cultural, religious, and institutional changes. This seminar presents the latest research to understand historical changes in the making of science. By doing so, it aims to foster new conversations and deepen old ones in the history of medieval and early modern science.

Venue: Hovenden Room, All Souls College, unless otherwise stated
Type: Seminar Series
Series organiser: Dr Nuno Castel-Branco (All Souls College, Oxford)
Timing: Thursdays 14:00, Weeks 1–3, 6-8 unless otherwise stated
Web Address: https://earlymodern.web.ox.ac.uk/seminar-programmes#collapse4764676
Organising department: All Souls College

Talks:

Thursday 30 May 2024 (6th Week, Trinity Term)

Franciscan Spirituality, Transmutation, and the Antichrist: John of Rupescissa’s Alchemical Thought and Practices
Date: 30 May 2024, 14:00 - 15:00 (Thursday, 6th week, Trinity 2024)
Speaker : Lawrence Principe (Johns Hopkins University)
Venue: All Souls College, High Street OX1 4AL
Venue Details: Hovenden Room
Organisers: TBA
Hosts: TBA

Thursday 6 June 2024 (7th Week, Trinity Term)

Eclipse Prediction in Late Fifteenth-Century England: The Case of Lewis Caerleon
Date: 6 June 2024, 14:00 - 15:00 (Thursday, 7th week, Trinity 2024)
Speaker : Laure Miolo (Lincoln College, Oxford)
Venue: All Souls College, High Street OX1 4AL
Venue Details: Hovenden Room
Organisers: TBA
Hosts: TBA

Thursday 13 June 2024 (8th Week, Trinity Term)

Alchemy during the English Reformation: The Troubled Times of Thomas Charnock
Date: 13 June 2024, 14:00 - 15:00 (Thursday, 8th week, Trinity 2024)
Speaker : Zoe Screti (Harris Manchester College, Oxford)
Venue: All Souls College, High Street OX1 4AL
Venue Details: Hovenden Room
Organisers: TBA
Hosts: TBA

Editors: Laura Spence, Belinda Clark, Claire MacLeod, Nuno Castel-Branco