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Generation and Embryology in Renaissance Science

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Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy

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Abstract

Embryology is a study of generation in both plants and animals. The generation of living beings was one of the most central and difficult problems for natural philosophers in the Renaissance. The complex structure of living bodies and their functions had to be explained from the first stage of their formation. This was the quintessential aspect of embryology. Many factors involved in the phenomenon were invisible and imperceptible to human senses, while the traditional explanatory tools of philosophy and medicine, whether Aristotelian or Galenic, did not provide a satisfying answer. The problem forced physician-philosophers to scrutinize the newly rediscovered texts of the ancients and even craft ideas and concepts not employed elsewhere.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for the History of Philosophy and Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Hiro Hirai

Authors
  1. Hiro Hirai
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Correspondence to Hiro Hirai .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Venezia, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

Section Editor information

  1. University Ca' Foscari Venice, Venice, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

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Hirai, H. (2018). Generation and Embryology in Renaissance Science. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_397-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_397-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

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