TIDES · A Long Way to a New Cosmology: Theories of Tides in Pre-Modern Thought

A Long Way to a New Cosmology: Theories of Tides in Pre-Modern Thought

This project aims to offer the first interdisciplinary study of pre-modern engagement with the relatively neglected yet highly problematic and significant natural phenomenon of tides. It argues that the flow and ebb effect was an essential component of cosmological discussions in pre-modern Europe and attracted the attention of all key scholars whom we currently associate with the so-called Scientific Revolution. The competition among the prominent thinkers involved in the study of astronomy and mathematics left its mark on a considerable number of works on tides. At the same time, the contesting solutions were believed to constitute a valid argument in favor of their respective cosmological theories. This implies that the issue of determining the flow and ebb of water formed part of a larger discourse that went beyond strict mathematization of natural knowledge in the early modern period but reflected, on a more general level, a peculiar understanding of the cosmos and all it contains. Against the standard narrative of paradigmatic shifts, and following the most recent research in the field, the project demonstrates that the epistemological transformations cosmology underwent from the fifteenth to late seventeenth centuries were more ambiguous than hitherto believed. Through a series of publications (a comprehensive monograph on the topic, publications and collections of primary sources and a peer-reviewed article) and conference presentations, the project aims to raise broader awareness about the significance of tidal discussions in the development of early modern cosmology and help reconsider many of its key aspects. Along with lectures and conference presentations in 7 different countries, the project has resulted in an article, featuring one of the most remarkable texts pertinent to the topic (it was published in an open-access edited volume) and four more essays, which are currently either under review with peer-reviewed journals or contracted. The bulk of the monographic study on the topic has been completed and preliminary discussions with publishers concerning a potential venue for such a book have been ongoing. Throughout the project, I have collected an extensive amount of primary material, which is expected to lay the foundation for further research on the topic (see below). I have also translated (into English) a significant portion of one of the most foundational and influential texts discussing the origin of tidal motion. The project has three main objectives. The first one (partly achieved) is centred on the publication of its research outputs, in the form of a scholarly monograph and research articles. Along with an article that has already been published (see below on its content), three more essays are forthcoming (three in prestigious peer-reviewed journals and one in a collection of essays originating from an international conference). The monograph on the role of tides in cosmological discussions is coming along as well, with a significant portion of it being nearly completed and expected to be submitted to a publisher for consideration. The second objective (partly achieved) is concerned with a collection of primary materials pertinent to the project. While throughout the project I have been able to collect an extensive number of written sources, I have also been extending the focus of the collection towards maps and visual sources; as a result, at the current stage of my research, I envisage the collection of written sources as an additional element with respect to the visual ones. Taken together, I consider them to become an essential element of my ERC application (see below). The third objective (partly achieved) is on the publication of primary sources. While my work on Galileo Galilei’s work is still in progress, I have managed to publish, for the first time, another significant manuscript source pertinent to the project’s subject matter, in the essay mentioned above. Featuring the most detailed treatment of the phenomenon of tides by Venice’s leading water engineer Cristoforo Sabbadino, it provides invaluable insights into the perception of the flow and ebb at the intersection of astronomy, practical knowledge and environmental history.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union