Laws of Cosmic Regularity in the Imperial Period

The change in terminology in the title of this conference — from nature to cosmic regularity — should help to break new ground in the description of the concept of nature in the Roman imperial period. At the same time, the term «laws of cosmic regularity» maintains the focus on what is at stake in modern laws of nature: regularity and control. Thus, the conference will address the range of fundamental ideas from which people during the roman imperial period drew to explain natural processes. It will explore the reasons for the momentum of certain ideas and concepts as well as inquire whether and how the sweeping persuasion of these rules can be linked to other rules governing people’s reason at the time, such as grammar, rhetoric, strategic thinking, or technology.