Science, philosophy and literature in the early Spanish Enlightenment: the case of Martin Martinez

ABSTRACT

Martín Martínez was born in Madrid in 1684 and died fifty years later in the Spanish capital in 1734. He was one of the introducers of medicine and modern philosophy in the Spain of Philip V (Marañón 1962, 130). He is a focus for many of the aspects that bring together scientific research with literary writing and philosophical reflection. In fact, Martinez systematically considered the usefulness of writing science books in Spanish at the same time as he reflected on the scope of Cartesian or Gassendist philosophy and its relationship with scientific research in the sense that some sixty years earlier Robert Boyle had defined it in his The Sceptical Chymist (1661). He is therefore a model figure for observing the penetration of the Scientific Revolution in Spain in the early years of the eighteenth century.

KEYWORDS:

• Martin Martínez
• Feijoo
• novatores
• Spanish Enlightenment
• Sceptical Medicine
• Sceptical philosophy
• eighteenth century Spanish literature
• eighteenth-century science, history of science

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

2 Gregorio Marañón y Posadillo (1887–1960) was a Spanish internist, scientist, writer and thinker. He was the founder of Spanish endocrinology from his chair at the Central Hospital in Madrid and, together with José Ortega y Gasset, one of the great defenders of the Second Spanish Republic.

3 Discourse on Method, AT VI, 2-5.

4 Translator’s version, as in all cases.

5 Macero. Person who carries the mace in front of corporations or authorised persons who use this sign of dignity. Is used here metaphorically as a satellite.

6 Ogaño or Hogaño. Latinism: hoc anno. In this year; can also mean in this period.

7 Uchronic: Concerning the reconstruction of history based on hypothetical data.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jorge García López

Jorge García López was born in Barcelona (1961). He studied with Francisco Rico, Alberto Blecua and Pedro M. Cátedra at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he was a Research Fellow and Assistant Professor (1990–1992). He is currently a lecturer and researcher at the University of Girona (1992–2016). He has focused his research on Spanish Medieval and Golden Age Literature, as well as more recently on Spanish-American Literature. He has studied and published scientific articles and monographs on El libro de Alexandre, Gonzalo de Berceo, the Archpriest of Hita, Miguel de Cervantes, Francisco de Quevedo, Diego de Saavedra, Baltasar Gracián and Borges, among others. A regular lecturer at conferences and congresses on Spanish literature, he has directed four research projects funded by the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) focusing on the seventeenth century and the relationship between literature, science and philosophical thought. He currently has 4 six-year research periods officially recognised by the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity (CNEAI).