The theory of impetus in the writings of Albert of Saxony (1320-1390), Nicolas Oresme (1320-1382) and their followers

The purpose of the research is to study the development of the theory of impetus in the works of J. Buridan and his students. An attempt to characterize the concept of “impetus” and the reconstruction of the provisions of the natural philosophical concept of impetus in the works of these philosophers of the Middle Ages became the main tasks. The analysis of original texts written in French and Latin, and related works on the history of philosophy served as a research method. The texts of the sources are given in the author’s translation, since they have not been previously translated into Russian. The author draws attention to the fact that in the works of A. Saxon and N. Oresme, the impetus of the motion of celestial bodies differs from that of terrestrial bodies in that the latter have a tend to resist violent motion. N. Oresme defines impetus as a cause not of own motion, but of acceleration, which substantially brings it closer to the Newtonian concept of force. However, N. Oresme was not able to develop this conjecture within the framework of the developed theory. It is concluded that many theses of Aristotle are still preserved in the notes of scientists, for example, the idea that the motion needs a reason, or the concept of a natural place. The results of the study can be used in the preparation of courses on the history of science, the history of the Middle Ages, and the history of medieval literature. The practical significance lies in the introduction into the scientific circulation of fragments of the treatises of A. Saxon and N. Oresme in the original language, which will allow further consideration of other aspects of this issue.