The vision of the universe of Plotinus is not unique; we saw it sketched out in Posidonius when he distinguished and ordered what ancient Stoicism identified as god, destiny, and nature; we saw it clarified in Plotinus with his theory … Read More
Climate tipping points are critical thresholds in the Earth’s climate system that, when crossed, may lead to abrupt and irreversible changes with potentially catastrophic consequences. The epistemological aspect of climate tipping points is a vital and complex topic, given the … Read More
From these logical frameworks, so clearly designed for discussion, Aristotle derived his entire theory of the syllogism. He came to realize that the necessity with which one drew the consequences from theses initially posited was entirely independent of the fact … Read More
Reality seems obvious until we try to define it. A table feels solid. Pain feels immediate. A dream can feel true while it lasts. A scientific theory can describe things no one has ever seen directly, yet still predict the … Read More
Several dialogues of Plato have a dramatic progression and present crises in the manner of plays. Sometimes the scenario is borrowed from everyday life, as in the Symposium where each of the guests, after drinking, praises love, sometimes from the … Read More
The same trait is found in his theology. Where ancient Stoicism identified, Posidonius seems to have sought to distinguish: according to Aetius[1], he separated Zeus, nature, and destiny as three terms, each subordinate to the preceding one; Zeus would be … Read More
The question sounds simple, but it hides two very different questions: Is there a cosmic purpose to human life? How do I live a life that feels meaningful to me? The first asks for a universal answer. The second asks … Read More
From 494 BC (the date of the destruction of Miletus), with the Milesian school, all traces of Ionian physics temporarily disappeared. Intellectual life had already shifted to the flourishing colonies of Magna Graecia and Sicily. Several of the men who … Read More
In its literary form, Bion’s diatribe is the antithesis of the Stoics’ didactic works, with their skeletal reasoning and bewildering terminology. Yet it is not a continuous discourse, composed of periods, in the manner of the rhetoricians and sophists; it … Read More
As he makes matter an actual reality even without form, and the individual a positive reality distinct from the species, Duns Scotus gives to the possible intellect an activity which is, to a certain extent, autonomous, with respect to – … Read More
The Topics, in their practical applications, provide the means to determine which of these classes a given attribute belongs to; for example, an attribute will only be recognized as a genus of the subject if it is verified that it … Read More
Sfetcu, Nicolae (2025). ”The Books on the History of Science: Global Evolution, Romanian Contributions, and Perspectives”, in Index Academic, I 2025, DOI: 10.58679/IA18613, https://www.indexacademic.ro/pdf/the-books-on-the-history-of-science/ Abstract The field of history of science has evolved from a niche scholarly pursuit into … Read More
