Prof. dr. Maarten Van Dyck
Department of Philosophy and Moral Science
Blandijnberg 2, room 2.15
B-9000 Gent
Phone: 0032 9 264 40 27
Fax: 0032 9 264 41 87
Email:
Field of research: Philosophy and the Natural Sciences in their Historical Relation
As professor of philosophy, I am responsible for the epistemology and metaphysics courses in the department of philosophy and moral sciences, but most of my philosophical research is actually driven by a close engagement with questions raised by the development and circulation of knowledge as studied in history of science. My own historical work focuses on the development of mechanics in the early modern period, from the sixteenth century up to the end of the seventeenth century. I am especially interested in how what started out as a theory of machines gradually became seen as providing (some kind of) a basis for a mathematical theory of motion. I look at this process from a number of perspectives, both conceptual, institutional, epistemological, and metaphysical, inspired by people as diverse as Alexandre Koyré, Ernst Cassirer, Michel Foucault and Robert Brandom. The historical figures I have studied most closely are Guidobaldo del Monte, Galileo Galilei, Simon Stevin, Isaack Beeckman and Christiaan Huygens.
Research projects
- Experiment and observation in seventeenth-century meteorology and natural philosophy. A comparative study of Descartes’ Météores and Fromondus’ Meteorologicorum libri sex.'
FWO-project, 2010-2013 (Maarten Van Dyck and Sven Dupré)
Teaching
Selected publications related to the field of history of science
‘The Paradox of Conceptual Novelty and Galileo’s Use of Experiments.’ Philosophy of Science 72 (2005), pp. 864-875.
‘Gravitating Towards Stability: Guidobaldo’s Archimedean-Aristotelian Synthesis.’ History of Science 44 (2006), pp. 373-404.
‘The Epistemological Foundations of the Law of the Lever.’ Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 40 (2009), pp. 315-318.
‘« Argumentandi modus huius scientiae maximè proprius... » Guidobaldo's Mechanics and the Question of Mathematical Principles.’ To appear in D. Bertoloni-Meli, A. Becchi, & E. Gamba (eds.) Guidobaldo del Monte, Firenze: Olschki.
‘Het conflict tussen Galileo Galileï en de katholieke kerk.’ Submitted for publication in D. Praet & N. Grillaert (eds.) Geloof en Wetenschappen, Gent: Academia Press.
‘Causality and Conservation. Elements of the New Metaphysics Behind the Mathematization of Nature in the Seventeenth Century.’ To appear in K. Verelst & W. Christiaens (eds.) Identity and Structure.
‘What’s Inertia Got To Do With It? Galileo’s Natural Circular Motions.’ To appear in Foundations of Science.