News from May and June 2024

New Publication

• We’re thrilled to announce the publication of a new TOME article by Petr Pavlas: Word as Definition. A Key Principle of the Comenian Project for Universal Language: Its Sources and Contexts. The article probes the broader context of early modern projects on “universal languages” and examines the “word as definition” programme in detail. You can access the article here.

SHAC Meeting in Oxford

• On May 28–29, Jo Hedesan, Petr Pavlas, and Vojtěch Kaše participated in a SHAC (Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry) meeting held in Oxford. The gathering provided an excellent opportunity for in-depth discussions on shared research interests. In Maison Française d’Oxford, the workshop’s venue, our trio of TOME researchers first met and initiated a very promising collaboration with philosopher of science and historian of global alchemy Farzad Mahootian (NYU in New York); furthermore, they significantly deepened the contact and collaboration with historian of philosophy and alchemy Sean Coughlin (Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences). Due to a sudden and unexpected illness of Vojtěch Kaše, his contribution was presented and visually displayed in absentia by Petr Pavlas.

Presentations at the 11th Annual Scientiae Conference

•  On June 11–14, Petr Pavlas, Lucie Storchová, Lenka Řezníková, Márton Szentpéteri, Martin Žemla, and Alessandro Nannini presented their work in progress at the 11th Annual Meeting of Scientiae in Brussels. The team contributed with two conference panels: From Harmony to Vanity, and Back Again. Hope and Frustration in the Early Modern Knowledge Cultures through the Lens of Metaphorical Expression; and The Power of Taste, the Taste of Power, and Georgics of the Soul: Early Modern Psychophysical Metaphors of Knowledge.
• Both panels explored the interplay between metaphorical expression and early modern knowledge, offering insights into psychophysical metaphors and the dynamics of power and taste from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
• You can check the conference programme and the book of abstracts.