Non-Quantitative Notions of Infinity in 17th Century Philosophy

FAIN: FT-270692-20

Anat Schechtman
University of Wisconsin, Madison (Madison, WI 53715-1218)

Writing two chapters of a book on the concept of infinity in the writings of philosophers of the 17th century.

Relatively little attention has been devoted to the study of important, yet often overlooked, non-quantitative notions of infinity in 17th century philosophy, in contrast to the considerable attention devoted to treatments of infinity in quantitative contexts in the period, especially in mathematics and physics. My project aims to fill the lacuna left by such previous studies. One of its main innovations is that it will examine non-quantitative notions of infinity in the early modern period alongside quantitative notions, and clarify how they are different. The intended final product of the fellowship is a book manuscript, which is under contract with Oxford University Press. I anticipate that it will reshape the existing debate on infinity in medieval and early modern philosophy, and will be an invaluable resource for scholars and graduate students working in these fields.