William of Conches: Philosophia Mundi (2)

This treatise on natural philosophy, printed by Migne among the works of Honorius Augustodunensis, is the Philosophia Mundi of William of Conches (c. 1090–after 1154), the grammarian and philosopher associated with the school of Chartres. The first book defines philosophy as the true knowledge of things that are and are not seen and things that are seen, offers rational proofs of the existence of God, explains why power, wisdom and will are attributed to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, discusses the world soul, angels and demons, and turns to the elements. Later books treat the heavens and stars, the atmosphere and weather, the earth and human physiology.

The Philosophia is one of the most important scientific works of the twelfth century, drawing on Plato’s Timaeus, Macrobius, Boethius and newly available medical writings to give natural explanations of the world. William’s views, especially on the world soul and on the creation of the first human body, were attacked by William of Saint-Thierry, and he later revised the work as the Dragmaticon. The sample explains the qualities of the seasons from the sun’s position in the zodiac, illustrating its rational approach to nature.