[Milton-L] Knowledge, free will, etc.

[Dennis Danielson]

Surely it's wrong to attribute Aristotelian physics to Milton. First, 
although we rather carelessly refer to Aristotle's physics as being 
geocentric, they're really centro-centric. Yes, earth is there in the 
centre by virtue of its heaviness (heavy things are drawn toward the 
centre); but it's the centre, not the earth, towards which things are 
drawn. Secondly, for Aristotle, natural motion is either vertical motion 
towards or away from the centre (sublunary motion), or circular motion 
about a centre (superlunary motion). So the drawing of something towards 
the centre takes place only in the sublunary sphere.

However, in Milton's world, Sin's starting place is not only 
SUPERlunary; it is extra-cosmic. So even if Milton's physics were 
Aristotelian, one lacks any grounds for imagining Sin's PHYSICAL 
attraction to earth or earth's location.

Dennis D

Michael Gillum wrote:
> Regarding Sin’s compulsion to move toward Earth, isn’t this pretty much 
> Aristotelian physics, where things move toward their natural places, 
> just as Dante, once purified at the top of Purgatory, rises 
> spontaneously to Paradise? 
-- 
Dennis Danielson
Professor and Head
Department of English
University of British Columbia
#397 - 1873 East Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z1
telephone: 604-822-3174
Author: The First Copernican
WEB: http://faculty.arts.ubc.ca/ddaniels/