Neo-Scholastic metaphysics plays an outstanding role in 17th century philosophy. The beginnings of the modern scientific view of the world originate from precisely the same time. With reference to the anatomist Francis Glisson (ca. 1597-1677), this study investigates the significance of school metaphysics for the inception of a new form of natural philosophy. It shows that Glisson developed a retrospective theory of substance from his identity as a scientist. In so doing, it casts a surprising light on the formative intellectual conditions governing the emergence of the sciences in the modern age.

The concept of nature is indubitably one of the essential concepts in the science and literature of the early modern age. The articles assembled here indicate the range of semantic perspectives covered by the concept in that period. Detailed analyses discuss both its philosophical functions and its role in the history of science, as well as its meanings in theology, magic/alchemy, music theory, and literature.