Robert Grosseteste on Motion, Bodies, and Light

The article dissects Grosseteste’s theory of the origin of bodily motion discussed in De motu corporali et luce. The first section examines Grosseteste’s discussion of the metaphysical structure of body qua body and the postulation of a kind of original motion (motion qua motion) as a common feature to all bodies. The second section discusses how Grosseteste’s stance on the ontological structure of bodies is connected to his claim that motion qua motion is originated by the apprehensive power as such. The latter is a generic feature common to the apprehensive powers of celestial intelligences, humans, and animals. Finally, the last section of the article analyses Grosseteste’s identification of light with the cause of five kinds of change. Stressing the tensions within his treatment of this problem, I argue that Grosseteste elaborates a remarkably original theory of the ontological structure of the bodies, which stems from his blending of Aristotelian natural philosophy with metaphysical assumptions inherited from the Platonic tradition.