The medieval philosopher who paved the way for modern physics

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Long before Galileo, a 14th-century French scholar challenged the foundations of Aristotelian physics. By rethinking how objects move through space, Jean Buridan developed a revolutionary concept of motion that bridged the gap between ancient dogma and the modern understanding of inertia.

In the 14th century, the prevailing Aristotelian view held that motion required a continuous external force. According to this framework, a projectile could only move through the air because of 'antiperistasis'—eddies or vibrations in the surrounding medium that pushed the object along. Without a proximate force, the object would cease moving almost immediately.

Jean Buridan, a scholar at the University of Paris, disrupted this consensus by introducing the theory of 'impetus.' He proposed that a mover imparts a specific power to a moved object, proportional to the object's mass and the speed of the motion. Crucially, Buridans's innovation was not just the idea of an impressed force, but his rejection of the notion that this power dissipates spontaneously. Instead, he argued that an object continues moving until its impetus is depleted by opposing forces, such as gravity or air resistance.

This concept of impetus, which functions much like the modern principle of momentum, served as a vital precursor to the concept of inertia. While some historians, such as Pierre Duhem, view Buridan as a forerunner to Galileo and a key figure in the decline of Aristotellar cosmology, others, like John Alexander Zupko, argue that Buridan remained a committed Aristotelian who still believed the universe was finite and that motion and rest were contrary states.

Beyond physics, Buridan's life was marked by intellectual independence. Unlike many contemporaries, he remained a secular cleric and focused his career entirely on the faculty of arts rather than pursuing the prestigious doctorates in theology, law, or medicine. His legacy remains a blend of rigorous logical achievement and enduring, though unconfirmed, legends of a glamorous and mysterious life in Paris.

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