The second day of the conference, and another intriguing array of papers, building the theme of how scientific and theological instincts and interests cohere (or did not), in Grosseteste and his contemporaries. The first parallel sessions included, Robert Ball on readers of Grosseteste on the Psalms, and Philippa Hoskin on the use of Aristotle in Grosseteste’s advice to his clergy. The theme of pastoral care as a the locus for learning emerged in a number of the papers from the conference. Continue reading “3rd International Grosseteste Conference: Day 2”
3rd International Grosseteste Conference: Day 1
The wonderful hospitality of Bishop Grosseteste University will stay long in the memory, and the fascinating series of papers. Jack Cunningham produced a rich programme, on the theme of religious and scientific learning in the thirteenth century, focused on our main subject, with a range
of international speakers. Ordered Universe team members were here in strength, Giles, Hannah, Tom, Richard and Cecilia, alongside many others.Continue reading “3rd International Grosseteste Conference: Day 1”
Grosseteste at the National Astronomy Meeting
Presentation on Robert Grosseteste’s De Luce at the National Astronomy Meeting, Portsmouth June 23rd.
It was great to be giving an “extra” talk at the National Astronomy Meeting. This is a really big event with up to 500 participants, and lots of parallel sessions covering all aspects of astronomy from the latests (non) evidence for the multiverse to the outbreak of flares from the surface of the sun. Most speakers were there to present the latest discoveries exploring the far reaches of Universe and the depth of black holes… so it was brilliant to be able to set the Universe we see now in its historical context. My main aim was to show that the first steps towards understanding the origins of the Universe were made well before the enlightenment. Judging from the comments I received, the message hit home. Evidently, I successfully explained how Grosseteste’s model worked, and convinced most delegates that our mathematical model was a indeed good “translation” of the Latin text. It was really satisfying to see this expert audience taking in the message that (although Robert Grosseteste’s explanation of the origin geocentric Universe is ultimate incorrect,) the logical process by which he constructs his cosmological model very much follows the methodology of modern cosmology: we observe the world around us, construct “law of nature” to explain local phenomenon and then extrapolate those laws to explain the origin of everything. Robert Grosseteste would have loved NAM. I wonder what he’d have made of my talk on the formation of galaxies: I’m sure he’d have had plenty to say.Richard Bower
2014 Conference: International Grosseteste Society
The next International Robert Grosseteste Society conference takes place 18-20 July, in Lincoln, organised by Jack Cunningham at Bishop Grosseteste University. It promises to be a wonderful event, under the theme of:
Robert Grosseteste and the Pursuit of Religious and Scientific Learning in the Middle-Ages
Several core members of the Ordered Universe project will be delivering papers, Hannah Smithson on ‘Colours of the Rainbow: Robert Grosseteste’s Three-Dimensional Colour Space’, Giles Gasper on ‘Grosseteste’s Hexaemeron: the Order 
and Beauty of the Universe, Ancient and Modern’, Richard Bower on ‘A Mathematical Interpretation of the De luce‘, Cecilia Panti on ‘The Theological Use of Science and Philosophy in Robert Grosseteste and Adam Marsh according to Roger Bacon: The ‘Case Studies’ of Angelic Movements and the Rainbow’, and Tom McLeish on ‘Medieval Lessons for Modern Challenges to Science and Religion’. Continue reading “2014 Conference: International Grosseteste Society”
Ordered Universe Talks in June
June has already seen Brian Tanner give a talk at St Cuthbert’s Society, Durham University, in the day-conference, ‘Colour at Cuths‘ on 13th June. We are very grateful to the Principal, Professor Elizabeth Archibald for the invitation, and for such a packed programme which takes forward what is now quite a series of events at St Cuthbert’s on colour, with more to come in the next academic year.
At the National Astronomy Meeting, in Portsmouth, 23rd-26th June, Richard Bower will be delivering a paper in a session on Modern Archaeo-Astronomy: From Material Culture to Cosmology, focused on the recent work on the treatise on light: ‘De Luce: Modelling the 13th Century Universe of Robert Grosseteste’. Richard’s talk is on 23rd June in Session 1.
Hannah Smithson will be delivering a paper at the Warburg Institute in a Colloquium on Colour, on 26th June, with a paper entitled: ‘All the colours of the rainbow: A bridge between medieval and modern colour science’. The colloquium is in conjunction with an exhibition on colour at the National Gallery. Come along if you can!
Earlier this year Hannah also gave a public lecture at Goldsmiths as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour, with the title: ‘New perspectives on colour from a 13th century account of light, material and rainbows’
And there are lots more activities in July, September and October…look forward to seeing you there, and to keeping you updated.
Kalamazoo Session 2 – re-thinking Southern, reform and knowledge
Our second session dedicated to medieval science provided three papers focused around the issue of scientia as knowledge within 12th century monastic contexts. Church reform and the place of the monastic curriculum in the final decades of the 11th and first of the 12th centuries, the place of reason and knowledge in Cistercian thought, and a fresh look at the scientific learning in the Severn valley in England formed the basis for the session. Continue reading “Kalamazoo Session 2 – re-thinking Southern, reform and knowledge”
Robert Grosseteste’s Ghost
A very interesting context for the Grossetete’s reception and posthumous reputation.
Kalamazoo Sessions 1: How to think about science…including liturgy
Kalamazoo, a medium sized mid-western city, the original home of Gibson guitars (established here in 1902), famous for a book-keeping system, the subject of a Glenn Miller song, home of an increasing number of excellent microbreweries, and the place to which over 3000 medievalists return each year for the International Medieval Congress. The rooms on campus may be rudimentary, but the company more than compensates. Amongst the hundreds of sessions, were science-orientated ones…Continue reading “Kalamazoo Sessions 1: How to think about science…including liturgy”
From not quite Timbuktu to Kalamazoo in pictures
Journey to Kalamazoo
So, I’m in the History Department, not the Geography Department, and it didn’t seem all that far to get from Boston to Kalamazoo, and, the Durham IMEMS contingent has often travelled from Toronto to Kalamazoo which involves an interesting stay at the Port Huron/Sarnia 
crossing between Canada and the US. Travelling only in the US would bring the total travelling time down, surely, even if, on checking, the milage was a slightly eye-watering 900 miles. Continue reading “Journey to Kalamazoo”