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A new look at Patricius' theories of space as an argument for the Copernican-Patricius principle in modern cosmology

The Croatian philosopher Frane Petrić (Franciscus Patricius, Francesco Patrizi) can be counted among the world's greatest philosophers and scientists, such as Bruno, Campanella, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Locke or Descartes, due to his physical and mathematical theories of space examined in Pancosmia (the 4th part of the fundamental work NOVA DE UNIVERSIS PHILOSOPHIA, 1591). These theories were interpreted in the light of modern cosmology and the philosophy of science. In the famous first book De Spacio Physico of Pancosmia, Patricius concluded that space is both finite and infinite: finite (semi-bounded) by the outermost surface of the World, but infinite at very long distances, becoming empty space (Vacuum). The influence of Patricius' theories on Newton's absolute theory of space and on Locke's metaphysical views of space has been outlined. The paper provides evidence of how Locke's ideas were fruitfully accepted by young Russell in his formulations on space and its homogeneity, leading finally to Patricius' theories of space as the virtual origin to those assumptions. One of the basic tenets of cosmological models is the cosmological principle, sometimes called the Copernican principle, which is postulated for a universe described by the Friedmann– Robertson– Walker metric. In his physical and mathematical theories of space, Patricius formulated a very similar principle, providing the first notion of isotropic universal space on an astronomic scale together with a picture of a dynamic rather than a static universe. The science of space was generally understood as one of the physical and philosophical basic tenets in Patricius' new philosophy, which gives Patricius an honoured place close to Copernicus. Therefore, all the analyses were summed up together into the final argument for the replacement of the Copernican principle of modern cosmology by the Copernican– Patricius principle, which would better reflect Patricius philosophical role in the birth of modern cosmology.

Patricius' mathematical concept of space; Patricius' notion of isotropic and dynamic universal space; cosmological principle; Patrizian semi-Copernican picture of the universe; the Copernican-Patricius principle

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