Figure 14: Many rivals of the concept of "model"

 

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Since 1543: hypothesis and thesis

Since 1540: system

Other rivals: theory and philosophy, treatise and principles

Persistent rivals of the concept of model

 

 

Since 1543: hypothesis and thesis

 

It is remarkable that, since 1555, mental designs, constructions or ideas were marked with the word “model”.

 

On the other side many ideas that today were regarded as models were not denominated as such. Copernicus used neither in his “Commentariolus” (approx. 1515) nor in “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” (1543) the concepts “system” and “model”. But in the title of his main work we find the word „hypothesis" („et novis insuper ac admirabilibus hypothesibus ornatos“).

Kaspar Peuker opened 1572 the series or publications denoting the ideas of Copernicus as „hypotheses“ or „theses“. The title of his book was: „Hypotheses astronomicae, seu theoriae planetarum. Ex Ptolemaei et aliorum veterum doctrina ad observationes Nicolai Copernici, et canones motuum ab eo conditos accomodatae.“

„Theses Physicae de mutationibus et motu“ were described in 1570 by Johannes Bruno, „Theses astronomicae“ in 1598 by Lambertus Croppet.

 

 

Since 1540: system

 

As early as in 1540 Joachim Rheticus spoke indeed of the „systema” of Copernicus.

In 1576 Thomas Digges wrote of Copernicus’ „model of the world“ and of Ptolome’s „modill of the world“.

 

Exactly since 1600 “systema” became a vogue word. In 1611 Bartolomäus Keckermann published a „Systema astronomiae compendiosum“, in 1615 Johann Gigas an „Enchiridon sphaericum – id est systema cosmographicum compendiosum ... continens utriusque globi, caelestis et terrestris ... descriptionem“.

Galilieo Galilei devoted one of his main books (1632) to the „due Massimi Sistemi“ of Ptolome and Copernicus.

 

Whilst already in 1620 Francis Bacon spoke of “philosophical systems”, René Descartes did not use “System” but “modèle”.

Descartes’ approach was denoted by his contemporaries Henricus Regius (1649) and Johann Clauberg (1651) as „philosophy“, by Petrus Gassendi (1650) als „metaphysics“ and by Malebranche as „système“.

Similarly Voltaire discussed Newton’s „philosophy“ (1738) as well as his „metaphysics“ (1640) and argued against Holbach’s „Système de la nature“ (1777).

 

The Cambridge Platonist Ralph Cudworth wrote: „The True Intellectual System of the Universe“ (1678). He put his conception in opposition to the other „systems of the world“. Also Leibniz denoted his explanation ot the world  throughout „mon système“.

 

 

Other rivals: theory and philosophy, treatise and principles

 

There are at least four other rivals of the concept of „model“.

Since about 1470 several books were published with the title „Theorica planetarum“

In 1528 „La Theorique des cielz“ by  the French physicist and cartographer Oronce Finé  has been published. It concerned the motions of the seven planets. Since then many books were pubished to the theory of planets.

 

Since around 1500 the three other designations for a mental design were widely used, e. g.:

·        by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa („De occulta Philosophiae“ 1510), Paracelsus („Philosophia magna“ 1533), Vitus Amerbach („De philosophia naturali“, 1549), Franciscus Patrizzi („Nova de universis philosophia“ 1591), Tommaso Campanella („Universalis philosophia“ 1638);

·        by Pico della Mirandola („Tractatus de ente et uno“ 1498), Marsilius Ficinus („Tractatus de epidemiae morbo“ 1516), Franciscus Sanchez („Tractatus de multum nobili et prima universali scientia quod nihil scitur“, 1581), Herbert of Cherbury („Tractatus de veritate“, 1624), Descartes („Traité de l’homme“, 1649);

·        by Gregor Reisch („De principiis rerum naturalium“, 1503), Petrus Cracoviensis („Principia astronomie“ 1515), Rainer Gemma-Frisius („De principiis astronomiae et cosmographiae“, 1548), Marius Nizolius („De veris principiis“, 1553), Bernardinus Telesio („De rerum natura iuxta propria principia“, 1565), Descartes („Principia philosophiae“ 1644).

 

Persistent rivals of the concept of model

 

 

That means, we have not only “hypothesis”, „thesis“ and “system”, but also “philosophy” (Latin: philosophia) - and sometimes „metapyhsics“ (metaphysica) - , „treatise" (tractatus) and „principles" (principia) as persistent rivals of the concept of model.

 

Other rivals include in another perspective “representation”, “analogy” and “metaphor” - not forgetting "image" and "imagery".

 

see more:

Modellgeschichte ist Kulturgeschichte

Chap.: Die Konkurrenten des Modellbegriffs