La metafora della caccia nella filosofia della natura nella prima età moderna

The essay considers some aspects of the complex philosophical issue of the 'quest for knowledge' represented, especially during the early modern age, through the metaphor of the hunt. The topic has been considered in the past by scholars especially from the perspective of the epistemological elaboration of philosophical enquiry. Taking inspiration from the Libraria of Francesco II della Rovere, the present contribution addresses the subject above all from the point of view of the imaginary, drawing on both the classical tradition and the iconographic sources that - from the Middle Ages to the early 17th century - represented the theme of knowledge as progressive advancement and as a method of reasoning. Central to the proposed discussion is the process of the syllogism in the context of naturalistic studies in the early modern age, also in relation to the spread of neo-stoic thought.