De Docta Ignorantia
Encyclopedia
De docta ignorantia is a book
on philosophy
and theology
by Nicholas of Cusa
(or Nicolaus Cusanus), who finished writing it on 12 February 1440 in his mother-town of Kues
, Germany
.
Earlier scholars had discussed the matter, e.g.
For Cusanus, the docta ignorantia means a »visio sine comprehensione, speculatio« (De docta ignor. I, 26). As mankind can not grasp the infinity
of a deity through rational knowledge, the limits of science need to be passed by means of speculation that blur the borders between science and ignorantia. In other words both reason and a supra-rational understanding is needed to understand God. This leads to the idea coincidentia oppositorum, a Union of Opposites, a doctrine common in mystic beliefs from the Middle Ages. These ideas influenced other contemporary Renaissance scholars such as Pico della Mirandola.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
on philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
by Nicholas of Cusa
Nicholas of Cusa
Nicholas of Kues , also referred to as Nicolaus Cusanus and Nicholas of Cusa, was a cardinal of the Catholic Church from Germany , a philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and an astronomer. He is widely considered one of the great geniuses and polymaths of the 15th century...
(or Nicolaus Cusanus), who finished writing it on 12 February 1440 in his mother-town of Kues
Bernkastel-Kues
Bernkastel-Kues is a well-known winegrowing centre on the Middle Moselle in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Earlier scholars had discussed the matter, e.g.
- Augustine of HippoAugustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
stated »Est ergo in nobis quaedam, ut dicam, docta ignorantia, sed docta spiritu dei, qui adiuvat infirmitatem nostram« (Epist. ad Probam 130, c. 15, § 28) - Pseudo-Dionysius the AreopagitePseudo-Dionysius the AreopagitePseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, also known as Pseudo-Denys, was a Christian theologian and philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, the author of the Corpus Areopagiticum . The author is identified as "Dionysos" in the corpus, which later incorrectly came to be attributed to Dionysius...
advises his reader to ἀγνώστως ἀνατάθητι "strive upwards unknowingly" (De myst. theol.c. 1, § 1) - Bonaventura of BagnoregioBonaventureSaint Bonaventure, O.F.M., , born John of Fidanza , was an Italian medieval scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also a Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was canonized on 14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the...
declared »spiritus noster non solum efficitur agilis ad ascensum verum etiam quadam ignorantia docta supra se ipsum rapitur in caliginem et excessum« (Übinger, Docta ignor S. 8)
For Cusanus, the docta ignorantia means a »visio sine comprehensione, speculatio« (De docta ignor. I, 26). As mankind can not grasp the infinity
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
of a deity through rational knowledge, the limits of science need to be passed by means of speculation that blur the borders between science and ignorantia. In other words both reason and a supra-rational understanding is needed to understand God. This leads to the idea coincidentia oppositorum, a Union of Opposites, a doctrine common in mystic beliefs from the Middle Ages. These ideas influenced other contemporary Renaissance scholars such as Pico della Mirandola.
External links
- Learned Ignorance and other works by Nicolas de Cusa — Full-texts in English