Representation and Rethinking of Phenomena in the Fifteenth Century: From Alberti Perspective to the Copernican Cosmological Revolution

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Department of Philosophy of Science, Sharif University Of Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/jihs.2026.411858.371892

Abstract

The fifteenth century in the history of Western thought is not merely a period of astronomical transition, but represents a fundamental epistemological rupture in understanding the relationship between “phenomenon” and “truth.” This article examines the premise that the shift from a geocentric to a heliocentric system was rooted in the transformation of the concept of the “visible” and the redefinition of the observer’s position, rather than merely being the product of an accumulation of new observational data. This research demonstrates how the geometrization of sensory perception in the art of perspective (by Alberti) converged with theological critiques regarding the reliability of the senses and the concept of the coincidence of opposites (by Nicholas of Cusa). Furthermore, the critical and methodological roles of Regiomontanus and Toscanelli in fostering a network of intellectual exchange are explored—a network that intertwined the autonomy of mathematics with technical experience. Finally, it explains how Copernicus, drawing upon this intellectual tradition, was able to demonstrate that the phenomenon of a “stationary Earth” was an optical illusion caused by the observer’s location. The article argues that the Scientific Revolution was the direct product of a fifteenth-century conceptual network that elevated mathematics from a computational tool to an ontological language.

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References

Chen-Morris, R., & Feldhay, R. (2017). Framing the appearances in the fifteenth century: Alberti, Cusa, Regiomontanus, and Copernicus. In R. Feldhay & F. J. Ragep (Eds.), Before Copernicus: The cultures and contexts of scientific learning in the fifteenth century (pp. 110-140). McGill-Queen's University Press. 
Hopkins, J. (1991). Nicholas of Cusa’s Dialectical Mysticism. Banning Press.
Edgerton, S. Y. (2009). The Mirror, the Window, and the Telescope. Cornell University Press.
Westman, R. S. (2011). The Copernican Question. University of California Press.
 
Journal for the History of Science
Volume 24, Issue 1
September 2026
Pages 253-258

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