Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Procreation, theory of
(1,194 words)

1. Concept

Procreation (Latin generatio), a central concept of ancient natural philosophy, refers to causal processes that lead to the genesis of inidividuals – primarily organisms, but also minerals (Mineralogy) and meteorological phenomena (Meteorology). Here early modern science adopted a tripartite classification from Greco-Roman antiquity: it sought different explanations for the genesis of individual properties, generic properties, and specific properties […

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McLaughlin, Peter and Müller-Wille, Staffan, “Procreation, theory of”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 30 November 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_030764>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107



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