Talk:Robert Grosseteste

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Name[edit]

Doesnt Grosseteste mean Big Testicle?

No. It is not Greek (testes), but Anglo-Norman (French) Grosse Tête, which is either "Big Head" or "Fat Head." As a surname, it was meant as a compliment, meaning that he was highly intelligent. The surname appears in two other places. There is a Richard Grosseteste who is archdeacon in Sussex (I think) and a family of Grossetestes that settled in Paris. They show up in a court document when a parish church attempted to take their house away. They claim to have a document supporting their ownership and that their grandfather, Robert Grosseteste had been deeded the land. It is unclear what relation this family is to Grosseteste of Lincoln. --Theologus (talk) 19:45, 16 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

--- "either "Big Head" or "Fat Head." As a surname, it was meant as a compliment, meaning that he was highly intelligent"

Robert Greathead was indeed a wonderfully smart man but no need to make up stuff about the meaning of his lastname, unless you can you back this up somehow? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.215.210.155 (talk) 18:35, 27 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Telescope[edit]

Shouldn't there be a section dealing with the theory that Grosseteste invented an early form of telescope?--Eroica 10:49, 13 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

place of birth[edit]

Just wondering, but why is Stradbroke listed as Grosseteste's place of birth? I've often seen it listed as Stowe. I was under the impression that no one actually knew what it was.

Layout of article[edit]

Isn't it normal for biographies of people to start with their actual biography and then discuss their works and importance? This article starts with his works and then goes into his biography in the next section; should this be flipped to align with Wikipedia guidelines for biographies (e.g. see William Shakespeare)?--FeanorStar7 10:55, 27 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Robert Greathead[edit]

His last name is also known as 'Greathead' — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.215.210.155 (talk) 18:30, 27 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Added, with multa multa cetera. That said, "Grossetête" is not common enough to go into the lead (WP:UNDUE). —

Llywelyn II

05:20, 14 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

scientist or saint-ist?[edit]

It was in the 19th century that scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics reached their modern shapes. The same time period also included the origin of the terms "scientist" and "scientific community"--2003:CC:93C1:7801:489B:2649:EE75:22D6 (talk) 09:51, 19 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The origin of the term "scientist" is not really relevant to a discussion of those who were engaging in the scientific study of nature in other times and places. There is an extensive historical literature that studies ancient and medieval science. One example of that genre is A. C. Crombie's Robert Grosseteste and the Origins of Experimental Science. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971.--SteveMcCluskey (talk) 01:06, 20 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

External links[edit]

The first external link originally went to a site dedicated to provide electronic access to Latin words of Robert Grosseteste. That link went defunct but is preserved in the wayback machine. Link. That site does have some useful information. I see that the second external link goes to this link. I don't know enough about the subject matter to know whether the second link is a more active version of the first link or unrelated. Perhaps someone with knowledge of the subject material could identify whether both links are appropriate or if only the second link should be preserved.--S Philbrick (Talk) 14:53, 21 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

The second link is an important reference to current research on Grosseteste, but is clearly distinct from the link to his works. --SteveMcCluskey (talk) 00:30, 22 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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De Sphera[edit]

Were there any important revelations in De Sphera that may have guided then astronomical theory at the time or was it merely a work focused on rehashing older ideas? -19rtrudkin (talk) 16:49, 25 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki Education assignment: History of Medieval and Early Modern Science[edit]

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 August 2022 and 9 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Rivico, AreHc (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Bennett Sutter, Jpegthebitmap.

— Assignment last updated by K8shep (talk) 16:13, 28 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Ghost of Grosseteste[edit]

I added a new line about how Matthew Paris accounted Grosseteste's ghost killed Pope Innocence IV to the Death and burial section. AreHc (talk) 18:22, 14 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Works[edit]

I added his work 'De Colore' to the works section.Rivico (talk) 17:53, 11 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I Removed (see bibliography above) in the first sentence of the works section as it seemed to be redundant.Rivico (talk) 05:31, 19 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Science[edit]

I made science its own section separate from works. I added how Grosseteste describes light and color. I added to and modified the paragraph starting with "Grossesteste is now believed to have had a very modern understanding of colour." I added to and modified the paragraph starting with "Grosseteste was the first of the Scholastics to fully understand Aristotle's vision of the dual path of scientific reasoning." I moved this text: "However, Grosseteste is best known as an original thinker for his work concerning what would today be called science or the scientific method." added it to the science section as a standalone, and removed 'however.' Noted that this article uses British spelling. Rivico (talk) 01:17, 4 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Age[edit]

Biobox says died aged about 85. 'Death and Burial' section says 'He was aged between seventy and eighty'. 2A00:23C7:CA88:B701:6CA4:3FA3:E65A:DE61 (talk) 11:50, 14 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for pointing this out. Jim Killock (talk) 21:18, 14 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Done, hopefully Jim Killock (talk) 22:20, 14 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Lunar crater[edit]

Why hasn't a lunar crater been named after him? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.31.67.35 (talk) 21:20, 27 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]