Exploring the Origins of ‘Scientia media’: An Interview with João Rebalde
by Mário Correia
March 2023 – In this interview, we delve into the 16th century with João Rebalde, a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto. The exploratory project he directs seeks to find clues for understanding the theoretical background that led to the development of the famous doctrine of middle knowledge (scientia media), a theory of divine knowledge of future contingents. Starting from the question of the doctrine’s authorship (was it Molina? was it Fonseca?), the project is surveying new sources from the mid-16th century in the context of the Jesuit colleges of Coimbra and Évora in Portugal. There was also time for advice and prospects for the future.
About João Rebalde
João Rebalde is a Researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, University of Porto, where he studies the commentaries to Aristotle’s De generatione et corruptione by Jesuit authors of the 16th and 17th century, in the context of the debates on Atomism. In parallel, he is the coordinator of the project «Does God know the contingents? The origin in the 16th century of the middle knowledge doctrine (EXPL/FER-FIL/1410/2021). His main areas of research are Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy, Iberian Scholasticism, Ancient Philosophy and Ethics.
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