aristotle established the natural laws of the universe.
aristotle established the natural laws of the universe.
who established the natural laws of the universe?
aristotle
he introduced a new period of scientific thought based heavily on three premises: (1) the universe is a product of one single god, (2) the heavens and the earth have the same physical properties, (3) and the stars are not divine. with these principles philoponus went after his rival, simplicius of cilicia, by questioning aristotle's' view of dynamics and cosmology. he argued that motion can occur in a void and that the velocity of a falling object is not based on its weight. he also held that god created all matter with its physical properties and with natural laws that would allow matter to progress from a state of chaos to an organized state forming the present universe. what remains of his writings indicate that he used the same didactic methods of reasoning that modern science uses and that he performed genuine experiments.
john philoponus
for combe, "a "law..."denotes a rule of action; its existence indicates an established and constant mode, or process, according to which phenomena take place." natural laws refer to "the rules of action impressed on objects and beings by their natural constitution" combe presents the relationship between god, nature, and the natural laws: "if, then, the reader keep in view that god is the creator; that nature, in the general sense, means the world which he has made; and, in a more limited sense, the particular constitution which he has bestowed on any special object...and that a law of nature means the established mode in which that constitution acts, and the obligation thereby imposed on intelligent beings to attend to it, he will be in no danger of misunderstanding my meaning" combe identifies three categories for the natural laws: physical, organic, and intelligent. the physical laws "embrace all the phenomena of mere matter," the organic laws [indicate] that "every phenomenon connected with the production, health, growth, decay, and death of vegetables and animals, takes place with undeviating regularity." combe defines intelligent beings as "all animals that have a distinct consciousness," and the intelligent laws concern the makeup of the mental capacities of intelligent beings. he then identifies four principles concerning the natural laws: 1) the laws are independent 2) obeying the laws brings rewards and disobedience brings punishment 3) the laws are fixed and universal, and 4) the laws are harmonious with the constitution of man.
the constitution of man