John Hennon
Encyclopedia
John Hennon (died after 1484) was a medieval philosopher in the late Scholastic
tradition. He was from Nijmegen, and studied at the University of Paris
, where he received his magister artium and baccalaureus formatus in sacra pagina
(1463).
As a student of Paris, Hennon was heavily influenced by William of Ockham
and Roger Bacon
. He wrote a Latin
commentary on the Physics
of Aristotle
, the Commentarii in Aristotelis libros Physicorum, which was completed on 1 October 1473 if a seventeenth-century source is to be believed. Examining the state of science in the late Middle Ages, physicist, historian, and philosopher Pierre Duhem
, in Le système du monde, isolates Hennon's account of the vacuum
and a plurality of worlds
.
Hennon believed that nature abhors a vacuum and therefore no natural void
was possible, though God
could create one. A void, however, is not defined by a positive distance between surfaces in which there is nothing, but rather as the capacity (potentialitas) for a body to be interposed between the two surfaces equal to that which is there when it is full. Hennon affirms that ice is denser than liquid water, and that a sealed vase of water will break upon freezing because nature abhors a vacuum. He believes further that two smooth plates could not be separated (again, because nature abhors a vacuum) unless there were some air still between them, which with enough force may become rarefied, allowing the plates to be separated.
Hennon is less original on a plurality of worlds, where he borrows text verbatim from Albert of Saxony
's Quaestiones in libros de Caelo et Mundo. He follows Albert and John Buridan in asserting that a multiplicity of worlds is not contradictory and therefore possible through divien omnipotence
. In fact, God could create an infinite multitude of beings, since Hennon finds no contradiction between infinity
and magnitude
. Duhem in his analysis of Hennon's chapter De Caelo et Mundo, argues that Hennon relied on the Condemnations of 1277
by Stephen Tempier to attack Aristotelian physics
, and thus the position that the earth cannot move.
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
tradition. He was from Nijmegen, and studied at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, where he received his magister artium and baccalaureus formatus in sacra pagina
Bachelor of Theology
The Bachelor of Theology is a three to five year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines. Candidates for this degree typically must complete course work in Greek or Hebrew, as well as systematic theology, biblical theology, ethics, homiletics and Christian ministry...
(1463).
As a student of Paris, Hennon was heavily influenced by William of Ockham
William of Ockham
William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of...
and Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
. He wrote a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
commentary on the Physics
Physics (Aristotle)
The Physics of Aristotle is one of the foundational books of Western science and philosophy...
of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, the Commentarii in Aristotelis libros Physicorum, which was completed on 1 October 1473 if a seventeenth-century source is to be believed. Examining the state of science in the late Middle Ages, physicist, historian, and philosopher Pierre Duhem
Pierre Duhem
Pierre Maurice Marie Duhem was a French physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science, best known for his writings on the indeterminacy of experimental criteria and on scientific development in the Middle Ages...
, in Le système du monde, isolates Hennon's account of the vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
and a plurality of worlds
Multiverse
The multiverse is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise all of reality.Multiverse may also refer to:-In fiction:* Multiverse , the fictional multiverse used by DC Comics...
.
Hennon believed that nature abhors a vacuum and therefore no natural void
Void (astronomy)
In astronomy, voids are the empty spaces between filaments, the largest-scale structures in the Universe, that contain very few, or no, galaxies. They were first discovered in 1978 during a pioneering study by Stephen Gregory and Laird A. Thompson at the Kitt Peak National Observatory...
was possible, though God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
could create one. A void, however, is not defined by a positive distance between surfaces in which there is nothing, but rather as the capacity (potentialitas) for a body to be interposed between the two surfaces equal to that which is there when it is full. Hennon affirms that ice is denser than liquid water, and that a sealed vase of water will break upon freezing because nature abhors a vacuum. He believes further that two smooth plates could not be separated (again, because nature abhors a vacuum) unless there were some air still between them, which with enough force may become rarefied, allowing the plates to be separated.
Hennon is less original on a plurality of worlds, where he borrows text verbatim from Albert of Saxony
Albert of Saxony
Albert of Saxony may refer to:* Albert of Saxony * Albert I, Duke of Saxony * Albert, Duke of Saxony * Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen * Albert of Saxony...
's Quaestiones in libros de Caelo et Mundo. He follows Albert and John Buridan in asserting that a multiplicity of worlds is not contradictory and therefore possible through divien omnipotence
Omnipotence
Omnipotence is unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence to only the deity of whichever faith is being addressed...
. In fact, God could create an infinite multitude of beings, since Hennon finds no contradiction between infinity
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
and magnitude
Magnitude (mathematics)
The magnitude of an object in mathematics is its size: a property by which it can be compared as larger or smaller than other objects of the same kind; in technical terms, an ordering of the class of objects to which it belongs....
. Duhem in his analysis of Hennon's chapter De Caelo et Mundo, argues that Hennon relied on the Condemnations of 1277
Condemnations (University of Paris)
The Condemnations at the medieval University of Paris were enacted to restrict certain teachings as being heretical. These included a number of medieval theological teachings, but most importantly the physical treatises of Aristotle. The investigations of these teachings were conducted by the...
by Stephen Tempier to attack Aristotelian physics
Aristotelian physics
Aristotelian Physics the natural sciences, are described in the works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle . In the Physics, Aristotle established general principles of change that govern all natural bodies; both living and inanimate, celestial and terrestrial—including all motion, change in respect...
, and thus the position that the earth cannot move.
Sources
- Duhem, PierrePierre DuhemPierre Maurice Marie Duhem was a French physicist, mathematician and philosopher of science, best known for his writings on the indeterminacy of experimental criteria and on scientific development in the Middle Ages...
; Roger Ariew, ed. and trans. 1985. Medieval Cosmology: Theories of Infinity, Place, Time, Void, and the Plurality of Worlds. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0 226 16922 7.
Further reading
- Bakker, Paul J. J. M. 2005. "Natural Philosophy and Metaphysics in Late Fifteenth-Century Paris. I: The Commentaries on Aristotle by Johannes Hennon." Bulletin de Philosophie Médiévale, 47:125–155.
- Pluta, Olaf. 2003. "John Hennon's Question Utrum anima rationalis sit immortalis." Ratio et superstitio: Essays in Honor of Graziella Federici Vescovini. Giancarlo Marchetti, Orsola Rignani, and Valeria Sorge, edd. Textes et Études du Moyen Âge, 24. Louvain-la-Neuve: Fédération Internationale des Instituts d’Études Médiévales, 197–219.
- Pluta, Olaf. 2007. "How Matter Becomes Mind: Late Medieval Theories of Emergence." Forming the Mind: Essays on the Internal Senses and the Mind/Body Problem from Avicenna to the Medical Enlightenment. Henrik Lagerlund, ed. Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind, 5. Springer Netherlands, ISBN 978 1 4020 6084 7, 149–167.