Contrasting Philosophies of Light and Perception

Professor Richard F. Hassing discusses the history and philosophy of light, contrasting Aristotle's and Descartes' views on light and perception, and exploring the development of light theories from Huygens to Einstein, including the rise and fall of the ether concept.

This episode includes a special hand-out which can be found here. The lecture was given on July 18th, 2024, at The Dominican House of Studies.

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About the Speaker:

Prof. Dick Hassing is a Research Associate Professor in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America. His work has focused on the History of physics and philosophy of nature, Early modern philosophy, and Political philosophy. 

He is the author of Cartesian Psychophysics and the Whole Nature of Man: On Descartes's Passions of the Soul and Modern Turns in Mathematics and Physics.

Richard F. Hassing is a Research Associate Professor at the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America.