Vitello ( pl, Witelon; german: Witelo; – 1280/1314) was a
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the o ...
,
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...
,
natural philosopher and an important figure in the
history of philosophy in Poland.
Name
Vitello's name varies with some sources. In earlier publications he was quoted as Erazmus Ciolek Witelo, Erazm Ciołek, Vitellio and Vitulon. Today, he is usually referred to by his Latin name Vitello Thuringopolonis, often shortened to Vitello.
Life
Vitello's exact birth-name and birthplace are uncertain. He was most likely born around 1230 in
Silesia, in the vicinity of
Legnica. His mother came from a Polish knightly house, while his father was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
settler from
Thuringia. He called himself, in
Latin, "''Thuringorum et Polonorum filius''" — "a son of
Thuringians and
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Cen ...
." He studied at
Padua University
The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from ...
about 1260, then went on to
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early histor ...
. He became friends with
William of Moerbeke, the translator of
Aristotle from Greek language into Latin. Vitello's major surviving work on
optics, ''Perspectiva'', completed in about 1270–78, was dedicated to William. In 1284 he described the
reflection and
refraction of light.
[Joe Rosen; Lisa Quinn Gothard. ]
Encyclopedia of Physical Science
'. Infobase Publishing; 2009. . p. 691.
''Perspectiva''
Vitello's ''Perspectiva'' was largely based on the work of the
polymath Alhazen
Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen (; full name ; ), was a medieval mathematician, astronomer, and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age from present-day Iraq.For the description of his main fields, see e.g. ("He is one of the prin ...
(
Ibn al-Haytham; d. ca. 1041) and in turn influenced later scientists, in particular
Johannes Kepler. Vitello's treatise in optics was closely linked to the Latin version of Ibn al-Haytham's Arabic opus: ''
Kitab al-manazir'' (''The Book of Optics''; ''De aspectibus'' or ''Perspectivae''), and both were printed in the
Friedrich Risner edition ''Opticae Thesaurus'' (Basel, 1572).
Vitello's ''Perspectiva'', which rested on Ibn al-Haytham's research in optics, influenced also the Renaissance theories of perspective.
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti (, , ; 1378 – 1 December 1455), born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence, a key figure in the Early Renaissance, best known as the creator of two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery ...
's ''Commentario terzo'' (''Third Commentary'') was based on an Italian translation of Vitello's Latin tract: ''Perspectiva''.
Vitello's treatise also contains much material in
psychology, outlining views that are close to modern notions on the
association
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
* Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associati ...
of ideas and on the
subconscious
In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness.
Scholarly use of the term
The word ''subconscious'' represents an anglicized version of the French ''subconscient'' as coined in 1889 by the psycho ...
.
''Perspectiva'' also includes
Platonic metaphysical discussions. Vitello argues that there are intellectual and corporeal bodies, connected by causality (corresponding to the
Idealist
In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ...
doctrine of the universal and the actual), emanating from
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
in the form of Divine Light.
Light itself is, for Vitello, the first of all sensible entities, and his views on light are similar to those held by
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon (; la, Rogerus or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empiri ...
, though he is closer in this to
Alhazen
Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen (; full name ; ), was a medieval mathematician, astronomer, and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age from present-day Iraq.For the description of his main fields, see e.g. ("He is one of the prin ...
's legacy.
[''Ibid'', El-Bizri, 2005]
Other works
In ''Perspectiva'', Vitello refers to other works that he had written. Most of these do not survive, but ''De Natura Daemonum'' and ''De Primaria Causa Paenitentiae'' have been recovered.
Legacy
The
lunar crater ''
Vitello
Vitello ( pl, Witelon; german: Witelo; – 1280/1314) was a friar, theologian, natural philosopher and an important figure in the history of philosophy in Poland.
Name
Vitello's name varies with some sources. In earlier publications he was q ...
'' is named after him.
See also
*
History of philosophy in Poland
*
List of Poles
*
List of Catholic clergy scientists
This is a list of Catholic clergy throughout history who have made contributions to science. These churchmen-scientists include Nicolaus Copernicus, Gregor Mendel, Georges Lemaître, Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, Pierre Gassendi, Roger Joseph ...
Notes
References
Vitello and his thoughts
* ''Witelonis Perspectivae Liber Primus: Book I of Vitello's Perspectiva'', edition and English translation by
Sabetai Unguru
Sabetai Unguru (, ''Shabtai Unguru''; born 1 January 1931) is an Israeli historian of mathematics and science.
Biography
Sabetai Unguru was born in 1931 in Podu Iloaiei, Romania. He studied philosophy, philology, history, and mathematics at the ...
, with introduction and commentary, Warsaw, The Polish Academy of Science Press, Studia Copernicana, vol. XV, 1977.
* ''Witelonis Perspectivae Libri Duo - Liber Secundus et Liber Tertius: Books II and III of Vitello's Perspectiva'', edition and English translation by
Sabetai Unguru
Sabetai Unguru (, ''Shabtai Unguru''; born 1 January 1931) is an Israeli historian of mathematics and science.
Biography
Sabetai Unguru was born in 1931 in Podu Iloaiei, Romania. He studied philosophy, philology, history, and mathematics at the ...
, with introduction and commentary, Warsaw, The Polish Academy of Science Press, Studia Copernicana, vol. XXVII, 1991.
* ''Witelonis Perspectivae Liber Quartus: Book IV of Vitello's Perspectiva'', A Critical Edition and English Translation with Introduction, Notes and Commentary by Carl J. Kelso, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003.
* ''Witelonis Perspectivae Liber Quintus: Books V of Vitello's Perspectiva'', edition and English translation by Mark A. Smith of the First Catoptrical Book of Witelo's Perspectiva, with introduction and commentary, Warsaw, The Polish Academy of Science Press, 1983.
Studies
*
Clemens Baeumker
Clemens Baeumker (16 September 1853 – 7 October 1924) was a German historian of philosophy.
Baeumker was born in Paderborn to a gymnasium teacher. He studied philosophy, theology, and philology in Paderborn and later at the University of Mün ...
, "''Witelo: Ein Philosoph und Naturforscher des dreizehnten Jahrhunderts''," ''Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie des Mittelalters'', part 3, no. 2, Münster, Aschendorff, 1908.
*
Władysław Tatarkiewicz
Władysław Tatarkiewicz (; 3 April 1886, Warsaw – 4 April 1980, Warsaw) was a Polish philosopher, historian of philosophy, historian of art, esthetician, and ethicist.
Early life and education
Tatarkiewicz began his higher education at Wa ...
, ''Historia filozofii'' (History of Philosophy), 3 vols., Warsaw, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1978.
Jerzy Burchardt, "The Discovery of the Rainbow in Crystal by Witelo"
External links
Online Galleries, History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma LibrariesHigh resolution images of works by and/or portraits of Witelo in .jpg and .tiff format.
* Erasmus Ciołek Witelo monument in the Żórawina village, Wrocław County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, SW Poland
{{Authority control
People from Silesia
Historians of philosophy
Natural philosophers
13th-century philosophers
13th-century mathematicians
Catholic clergy scientists
13th-century Polish people
Polish Roman Catholic theologians
Medieval Polish scientists
Polish philosophers
Medieval Polish mathematicians
13th-century German scientists
German philosophers
German physicists
Canons of Wrocław
13th-century German writers
Medieval German mathematicians
13th-century Latin writers
People from Legnica
Scholastic philosophers
Year of birth uncertain
1280 deaths