A Complete Course of Philosophy According to the Mind of Scotus - Physics and the Heavens, Volume II - John Punch

This second volume continues Punch’s systematic presentation of philosophy within the Scotist tradition of John Duns Scotus, moving from logic into the study of the natural world, including both sublunary physics and celestial philosophy.

The work begins with general physics, treating the principles of natural bodies such as matter, form, motion, change, and causality. Punch explains how physical substances are composed and how natural processes are governed by intrinsic principles of act and potency.

A substantial portion is devoted to “the heavens,” where he examines the structure and properties of celestial bodies according to the pre-modern cosmological framework. Topics include the nature of the heavens, their motion, and their role within the ordered hierarchy of the universe.

Throughout the volume, Punch employs a careful scholastic method characteristic of the Scotist school, emphasizing precise distinctions and conceptual clarity in the analysis of natural phenomena. The work presents the physical universe as an intelligible, hierarchically ordered system grounded in metaphysical principles and open to rational investigation.