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Alexander of Hales

(Encyclopedia)Alexander of Hales, d. 1245, English scholastic philosopher, called the Unanswerable Doctor by his fellow scholastics. He was a Franciscan and a lecturer at the Univ. of Paris. His Summa universae the...

naturalism, in philosophy

(Encyclopedia)naturalism, in philosophy, a position that attempts to explain all phenomena and account for all values by means of strictly natural (as opposed to supernatural) categories. The particular meaning of ...

aesthetics

(Encyclopedia)aesthetics ĕsthĕtˈĭks [key], the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the nature of art and the criteria of artistic judgment. The classical conception of art as the imitation of nature was...

Aristoxenus of Tarentum

(Encyclopedia)Aristoxenus of Tarentum ărĭstŏkˈsənəs, tərĕnˈtəm [key], fl. 4th cent. b.c., pupil of Aristotle. He marks a turning point in Greek musical theory by being the first to base theory on analysis...

Gemistus Pletho, Georgius

(Encyclopedia)Gemistus Pletho, Georgius jôrˈjəs jĭmĭsˈtəs plēˈthō [key], c.1355–1452, Byzantine scholar and philosopher, b. Constantinople. He represented the Orthodox Eastern Church at the Council of F...

Scaliger, Julius Caesar

(Encyclopedia)Scaliger, Julius Caesar, 1484–1558, Italian philologist and physician in France. Scaliger studied medicine and settled in France (1526), where he worked as a physician. A scholar of profound eruditi...

Held, Julius Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Held, Julius Samuel, 1905–2002, American art historian, b. Germany. Held immigrated to the United States in 1934. In 1937 he began to teach at Barnard College, where he was professor of art history ...

Bradwardine, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Bradwardine, Thomas brădˈwərdēn [key], c.1295–1349, English mathematician, natural philosopher, and theologian. He was chaplain to Edward III (c.1338) and later archbishop of Canterbury. As a ma...

Theophrastus

(Encyclopedia)Theophrastus thēˌōfrăsˈtəs [key] [Gr.,=divinely speaking], c.372–c.287 b.c., Greek philosopher, Aristotle's successor as head of the Peripatetics. The school flourished under his leadership. H...

Vanini, Lucilio

(Encyclopedia)Vanini, Lucilio lo͞ochēˈlyō vänēˈnē [key], c.1585–1619, Italian philosopher, who gave himself the name Julius Caesar. A freethinker, he was persecuted for his ideas and driven from one Europ...