The Ordered Universe: Interdisciplinary Readings of Medieval Science

The Ordered Universe Research Project proposes a fresh, interdisciplinary examination of the 13 scientific treatises on natural phenomena by Robert Grosseteste (c.1170-1253). A noted reformer as bishop of Lincoln, political advisor, poet, theologian, philosopher, translator, and 'scientist', Grosseteste's thought marks a major turning point in western medieval intellectual history. He was able to fuse, in a remarkable way, ancient understanding of the natural world, principally that of Aristotle, with Christian learning and biblical revelation. Grosseteste's scientific works are central to this enterprise. They are his first encounter not only with Aristotle's natural philosophy, but also earlier commentaries on Aristotle from Islamic and Hebrew writers, all newly translated into Latin. In the scientific treatises Grosseteste developed his critical response to these authorities, deploying, in particular, original mathematical arguments and the evidence of his own observations of natural phenomena.
There are, however, two significant impediments to a detailed assessment of Grosseteste's scientific thought. The first is the inadequacy of the current critical edition (1912). Its editor, Ludwig Baur, knew fewer than a third of the manuscripts now catalogued (research into the manuscript tradition of the treatise On the Rainbow identified substantial additions to the text, unknown to Baur). Moreover, Baur used later manuscripts, which preserve accumulated scribal errors, many of which are sufficient to obscure Grosseteste's meaning. The second impediment to a deeper understanding of Grosseteste's scientific works is the sophistication of his conceptual mathematical frameworks. Their elucidation, crucial for both the translation and the interpretation of his works, requires more than textual analysis alone. The complex nature of his scientific texts, their taut linguistic expression, and their computational virtuosity present intellectual challenges which can only be addressed with an interdisciplinary approach.
The Ordered Universe project will do precisely this, with experts from both sciences and humanities. The core research team consists of medieval historians, linguists, palaeographers, theologians and philosophers, together with physicists, cosmologists, vision scientists, mathematicians, engineers, computer scientists and meteorologists. Through a series of collaborative research symposia, classic humanities research on the establishment of the text, its translation and interpretation, is enriched by scientific perspectives and analysis. These processes of collective translation and textual elucidation lead to genuinely interdisciplinary outputs. Grosseteste is not interpreted here with any anachronism, especially scientific; rather, the interpretative tools of humanities and scientific disciplines are used together to bring the text to life in all of its dimensions.
The proposed project builds on a pilot study and an AHRC network grant. Working collaboratively with historic texts has also generated new science, published in leading scientific journals. Co-authored with humanities scholars, these papers drew the attention of the wider scientific community and were featured in two commentaries in Nature. Similar outputs are planned here, along with three stand-alone, humanities-led, articles on the significance of Grosseteste's scientific works. The wide range of academic beneficiaries is mirrored by the potential for public dialogue and impact. The Ordered Universe will collaborate with an award-winning widening participation scheme for university entrance, to create a module on Grosseteste's scientific world with material drawn from project research. A series of 16 public workshops in the UK, Europe and North America, with video record and an active website, will emphasise the cultural heritage of medieval science and its contemporary resonance, through presentation of one of the most dazzling minds of his generation.

Two principal pathways to impact have been identified:
1) Enriching Access Routes to University: 'Access Medieval Science in Culture'
The first pathway to impact is a partnership with the award-winning 'Pem-Brooke London' and 'Pembroke North' widening participation scheme. The partnership encapsulates the imaginative approach required by initiatives for new access routes to university: arresting, challenging, conceptual and visual, and drawing on the humanities and science collaboration underpinning the Ordered Universe project. The scheme is led by its founder Dr Peter Claus, Access Fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford, and operates through an established network of school 'hubs'. Five of these will run an access module developed by the partnership for Year 11 and 12 pupils, using research generated by the project. This approach maximises outcomes for impact resources. The module will emphasise Grosseteste's science in the context of cross-cultural learning: a medieval Latin scholar inspired by Ancient Greek, Islamic and Jewish thinkers, whose thinking on natural phenomena inspires modern scientists in dialogue with humanities scholars. The impact of 'Access Medieval Science in Culture' is, in the first place, on those who become university applicants from low-application-rate schools and who do so as a result of their experience of research-led teaching. It will also involve teachers and other members of the hub school communities charged with supporting wider university access and raising aspirations.

2) Public Heritage: 'Thinking Medieval' Public Lecture and Forum Series with Media Strategy
The second proposed pathway focuses on public engagement with heritage, culture and science. The project investigators and research team will develop a programme of events open to the public and the mechanisms to monitor attendance and responses (both at events and subsequently). Thirteen public lectures are planned, at venues including Durham, Montreal, Rome (delivered in Italian), Lincoln and Oxford. These will include informal question-and-answer sessions with accompanying video and poster material as well as demonstrations of experiments discussed. Five public forums are planned, including partnerships with three cathedrals (Lincoln, Hereford and Durham), the Science Museum (London), and with the University of York's Department of Interactive Media. The forums will incorporate lecture-style presentations, followed by collaborative readings of Grosseteste's texts with participants. They will also feature new media associated with the project, principally in the form of a 3-D visualisation of the treatise 'On Light'; audience reaction will be encouraged. Impact will be measured through surveys before and after the lectures and forums, and in short video interviews. These surveys will also monitor the impact of the project on the wider understanding of mutual connections between humanities and sciences. Similar data-analysis from the Ordered Universe contribution to the 2014 Festival of Humanities revealed a wide range of experience and background amongst the 60 public participants. Of those with first degrees half were humanities-based, half science. The project will continue to develop its contacts in print, radio and television media, to promote and reflect on the lectures and forums, and on the results of the research as they emerge. Lectures and forum 'vox pops' will be captured for display on the project's website and YouTube: www.ordered-universe.com. 'Thinking Medieval' will enrich understanding of the cultural heritage of medieval science and of the intellectual legacy of the medieval period amongst public participants.