Nicholas Campion, ‘Johannes’ Kepler’s Political Cosmology, Psychological Astrology and the Archaeology of Knowledge in the Seventeenth Century’.

Campion, Nicholas (2021) Nicholas Campion, ‘Johannes’ Kepler’s Political Cosmology, Psychological Astrology and the Archaeology of Knowledge in the Seventeenth Century’. In: Harmony and Symmetry, Graz.

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Abstract

Abstract. This paper examines the political cosmology of Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), the last major European scholar who combined the study of astronomy with the practise of astrology. The paper examines Kepler’s statements from several texts, Tertius Interveniens, On the More Certain Fundamentals of Astrology, Harmonices Mundi, and his annual predictions for 1618. Kepler argued that, if astrology were to be completely reformed on the basis of empirical observation, then it could be used in the service of government in order to avoid conflict and preserve harmony and stability. The paper describes Kepler’s political model as a cosmic state. In that his mechanism for astrology required the soul (or psyche) it was psychological. The paper also contextualises astrology’s role in the history of ideas as a form of the archaeology of knowledge and argues that Kepler’s cosmos (in common with the classical and Renaissance tradition to which he belonged) can be described as a hyper-object.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Additional Information:	Proceedings of the SEAC 2018 Conference in Graz. European Society for Astronomy in Culture.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Kepler, cosmic state, political cosmology, astrology.
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) D History General and Old World > D History (General) J Political Science > JC Political theory
Divisions:	Institutes and Academies > Institute of Education and Humanities > Academic Discipline: Humanities and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Nick Campion
Date Deposited:	14 Apr 2025 10:50
Last Modified:	14 Apr 2025 10:50
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/3690

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