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Kepler and Descartes on Nature and Its Representation
February 27, 2023 | 11:30AM – 2:00PM
Royce 306
Join us on Monday, February 27, 2023 for lunch and a lecture by Brian Baigrie, University of Toronto.
Sandwiches will be served at 11:30AM and the talk will begin at 12:00PM.
RSVP below to save your spot!
If you can’t make it to the talk in person, here is the link to join remotely: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/93382136321?pwd=OWh0bFVJcWQzUkRyQXl3SGpxWFJYZz09
In his Ad Vitellionem paralipomena (Additions to Witelo, 1604), Johannes Kepler advanced the remarkable thesis that the act of seeing involves the painting of an inverted picture on the retina, comparable to the picture that appears on the back of the camera obscura. Kepler’s discovery of the retinal image has been well-documented by historians of the science of optics, but its impact during the 17th century on the emergence of the mechanical philosophy and a growing recognition of the need for a novel of framework to conceptualize the relationship between nature and its representation is less well-known. This talk will present the central elements of Kepler’s new theory of vision in an attempt to shed light on aspects of its influence on the 17th century twin revolutions in science and philosophy.
Brian Baigrie is Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor at The Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, and cross-appointed to the Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (Faculty of Medicine) at the University of Toronto. His ongoing research (both historical and philosophical) is focussed on evidential reasoning.