Aristotelian philosophy was first outlawed, commentary on natural philosophy

The fact that Aristotelian philosophy was first outlawed is evidence that these writings were being studied in Paris. Aristotelian writings were outlawed on multiple occasions beginning in 1210, when it became forbidden to study Aristotle’s books or his commentary on natural philosophy in public or private. In 1215, the ban would be extended. Pope Gregory IX claimed that the ban of 1215 was still in effect in the bull Parens scientiarum, which was published in 1231.

However, he also stated that a commission would be established to review the natural philosophy texts and make any necessary corrections. Due to the passing of William of Auxerre, one of the commission’s nominated members, the meeting would never take place. The investigation of these faults is primarily justified by the charge that they involve inventions unrelated to Aristotelian philosophy that are profane. Regarding the effectiveness of the various prohibitions and bans, there are two primary trends.

Some academics claim that although Aristotelian books were forbidden by law, the restriction did not actually apply, meaning that they were valid de jure but not de facto. The alternative viewpoint contends that this was not the case, since the recently founded University of Toulouse (1229) declared that it was preserving academic freedom, or libertas scholastica, and that books on natural philosophy that were outlawed in Paris might be freely read. Despite several restrictions and limitations, there exists a manuscript from approximately 1230–1240 that serves as a master’s guide for art students in Paris.

It compiles all of the Aristotelian works that are accessible to them as part of their coursework (MS Ripoll, 109ff. 134ra–158va). The master categorizes philosophy into three categories in this document: moral, natural, and rational or theoretical. This division of philosophy is based on the triple Aristotelian division. We won’t address the topics of moral philosophy here because the first and second are the pertinent domains for our goals. This student handbook covers the trivium when it comes to rational or theoretical philosophy: Cicero’s De inventione for rhetoric; Porphyry’s Isagoge, the Organon, and the logical treatises of Boethius for dialectics; the volumes of Priscianus and Donatus’s Barbarismus for grammar.

Physics, mathematics, and metaphysics are all included in natural philosophy. Aristotle’s Metaphysics and the pseudo-Aristotelian Liber de Causis are the classic works in metaphysics. This master includes all of the quadrivium’s subjects under mathematics, but it also allocates works to some of its branches that were not recognized during the earlier Middle Ages. Ptolemy’s Almagest is used for astronomy; Euclid’s Elements is used for geometry; Boethius’s Institutio arithmetica is used for arithmetic; and Boethius’s Institutio musica is used for music. It is said that physica, or rather, physics, is inferior to scientia naturalis since it is less abstract than metaphysics and mathematics.

All of the works attributed to Aristotle on natural philosophy are contained in this poor knowledge of natural things: The works of Aristotle that pertain to animals include De anima, Parva naturalia, De motu cordis, De sensu et sensato, and the most significant text for our purpose, De plantis, which is believed to have been written by Aristotle but is actually a pseudo-Aristotelian treatise. Physica deals with the general principles of change, while De caelo studies the eternal motion of celestial bodies. De generatione et corruptione treats the four sublunary elements that explain generation and corruption.

Meteora encompasses a wide range of natural phenomena. The division’s most important aspect is its innovative arrangement of the many fields, which reflects a systematization of knowledge based on natural philosophy. Since men are natural beings who only function in this world, this also holds true for moral philosophy. Natural philosophy also symbolizes the route towards theoretical philosophy and the ever-more-specialized fields of knowledge.

Additionally, natural philosophy is a subfield of theoretical philosophy, primarily known as prima philosophia or metaphysics. This field studies the theoretical relationships between various fields of knowledge as well as reality from a theoretical standpoint.