Thomism and atomism. Theories of matter at the center of tensions between science and Catholicism in the 19th century
Miqueu, Adrien
Thomism and atomism. Theories of matter at the center of tensions between science and Catholicism in the 19th century - 2023.
60
This article aims at reconsidering the resurgence of Thomism and the creation of a ‘‘Catholic Science’’ in 19th-century France from the perspective of atomism. More than any other scientific field, the question of the structure of matter appears to be the central issue in the conflict between anticlerical scientists and champions of the Roman Catholic tradition. The latter targeted atomic theory, because of its links with the blossoming materialist philosophy, and proposed the scholastic theory of substance and form as a ‘‘concordist’’ alternative. Considering this revival of Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy within the framework of atomic history will shed new light on the anti-atomist positions of the historian of science Pierre Duhem and the chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas.
Thomism and atomism. Theories of matter at the center of tensions between science and Catholicism in the 19th century - 2023.
60
This article aims at reconsidering the resurgence of Thomism and the creation of a ‘‘Catholic Science’’ in 19th-century France from the perspective of atomism. More than any other scientific field, the question of the structure of matter appears to be the central issue in the conflict between anticlerical scientists and champions of the Roman Catholic tradition. The latter targeted atomic theory, because of its links with the blossoming materialist philosophy, and proposed the scholastic theory of substance and form as a ‘‘concordist’’ alternative. Considering this revival of Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy within the framework of atomic history will shed new light on the anti-atomist positions of the historian of science Pierre Duhem and the chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas.
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