Saphaeae and Hayʾāt: The Debate between Instrumentalism and Realism in Al-Andalus

Abstract

Abstract The article explores several texts written in al-Andalus between the twelfth and the early fourteenth centuries that mention Ibn al-Zarqālluh (al-Zarqālī) or the “Toledan astronomers.” These texts, contained in the works of physicians and philosophers, express scholarly reactions to the contributions of the circle of astronomers of eleventh-century Toledo, sponsored by the judge Ṣāʿid al-Andalusī. The textual evidence reveals attitudes ranging from a somewhat naïve admiration to harsh criticism. The article deals with the idealised image of the Toledan circle, due to a great extent to the significance of their work but also to external factors such as the innovative instruments and devices that these astronomers made. The texts suggest that some of the contributions of the Toledan circle were debated during the twelfth century, and that the echoes of this debate were felt in the following centuries. The discussion centred on the instrumentalism of Toledan astronomy, which was criticised by scholars who discussed the compatibility of Ptolemy’s mathematical astronomy and Aristotle’s natural philosophy. The “revolt against Ptolemy” that characterises this debate is reconsidered in the light of both the texts under study and the findings of recent research.