In this episode we talk with Dr Philipp Nothaft on the topic of anti-astrological texts and disputes. It is an interesting and still under-explored topic which plays a major role in the history of astrological practices. Going beyond the more commonly discussed matter of determinism and religious legitimacy, these criticisms also question the validity of astrology itself by presenting arguments taken from natural philosophy. Dr. Nothaft is Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford and his research has focused on medieval and early modern history of science, history of astronomy and astrology, as well as chronology, calendars, and systems of dating.

For more details on Philipp Nothaft’s work see: https://imtek.academia.edu/PhilippNothaft

Among his large academic production are the recent books:

Robert Grosseteste’s Compotus. Edited and Translated by Alfred Lohr and C. Philipp E. Nothaft (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). – https://global.oup.com/academic/product/robert-grosseteste-9780198827757?cc=gb&lang=en&&fbclid=IwAR1Ijw3vbAg9RDFbKkYpEYka-8vgEk0PXH3bIXomxFqUbDSHioHVmV1PwIE

Scandalous Error: Calendar Reform and Calendrical Astronomy in Medieval Europe (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018). – https://global.oup.com/academic/product/scandalous-error-9780198799559?cc=gb&lang=en&