Apr 24, 2018
Medieval Computus: Three Arguments for its Significance to Historians of Science
- 14:00 bis 16:00
- Institutskolloquium
Computus is the medieval term for the body of data and precept required to maintain the characteristic Christian forms of time-reckoning: the calendar, the Paschal table, and universal chronology. It has never been a subject of great interest to historians of science, possibly because it lacks a pedigree in Antiquity and an heir in the modern period. This lecture argues that historians of science should reconsider the importance of computus for their field, and this for three reasons. First, computus was unique in its focus on using the rational tools of astronomy and mathematics to solve problems that affected the social and religious life of an entire culture. In doing so, it quietly but decisively promoted number and nature to a status equal to that of sacred truth. The focus of these problems changed over time—in the earlier period, it was determining the astronomical and calendrical data for a valid Easter and devising a cycle; and in the later period, resolving the discrepancies between the Paschal cycle and astronomical realities—but the problem-based orientation and rational assumptions of the enterprise remained consistent. The level of engagement across medieval learned society with these problems and proposed solutions made computus the medieval analogue of modern “scientific literacy.” Secondly, computus also corresponds to modern definitions of scientific literacy because it involves the ability to analyse diagrams and use combinatorial tables. Indeed, its core data is essentially graphic, and this graphic corpus was widely disseminated and used in non-specialist milieux. Thirdly, for the entire medieval millennium, computus was the intellectual matrix, and even the manuscript vehicle, in which the average educated European encountered almost all the domains we now call science. In sum, computus accustomed Europeans to thinking about number and nature in problem-solving terms, and not only as objects of contemplation; it taught them to reason with and to navigate graphic presentations of data; and it furnished a framework and a justification for learning about a wide array of scientific domains.
MPIWG, Boltzmannstraße 22, 14195 Berlin, Deutschland
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The Institute's Colloquium is a public event, open to all with no registration required. Attendance is mandatory for Institute’s members. For further information please email Ohad Parnes.
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The Institute’s Colloquium occurs once per month during the academic year. The usual format is 45 minutes of presentation by the paper's author, followed by 45 minutes of Q&A discussion. No prior reading or preparation is required for this event series. Coffee and cake is served after the talk.