Plotinus and grosseteste: Neoplatonism in medieval cosmology

Sebastián Cristancho

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This work explores the case of cosmology of the philosopher and scientist Robert Grosseteste as an example of the remarkable influence of Neoplatonism in medieval science. One of the purposes of Grosseteste's cosmology was to explain the effective sequence of the creation of cosmos. I contend that the explanation provided by Grosseteste about creation is a renewed expression of some ideas of Plotinus with regard to how the One begets the multiple. I want to highlight three aspects of the relationship between the cosmological system of Grosseteste and the metaphysical system of Plotinus: (1) Unit of principle, (2) Mechanisms of generation and (3) Unit of system.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)259-290
Number of pages31
JournalArete
StatePublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes

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