Bidspirit auction | ars magna

ars magna - KIRCHER (Athanasius) ARS Magna Sciendi . In XII Libros Digesta, qua Nova & Universali Methodo per artificiosim combinationum contextum de omni re proposita plurimis & propr infinitis rationibus disputari, omniumque summaria quædam cognitio comparari potest. Amstelodami: Apud Joannem Janssonium à Waesberge, 1669. 2 v. in 1; half-title, [16], 246, half-title [of part II], 247-482, [10] pp., 2 engraves hors-text and portrait of Leopoldo I, one with the tree of knowledge, 4 folding tables: il.; 375 mm. Contemporary full calf, worn; general toning/acidification throughout; occasional very small marginal wormholes near the spine, not affecting the text; lacking the movable rotating components of the volvelles. Ars Magna Sciendi is one of Athanasius Kircher 's most ambitious works, forming part of the vast intellectual project that the author developed throughout the 17th century with a view to the universal systematization of human knowledge. Clearly inspired by the combinatorial tradition of Ramon Llull, Kircher proposes in this treatise a rational method designed to allow the analysis, comparison, and discussion of any subject through the decomposition of concepts into fundamental elements and their ordered recombination. The work is structured in eleven books, which address questions of logic, memory, language, classification of knowledge, and organization of discourse, reflecting the Baroque ideal of a total science capable of integrating diverse disciplines within a common framework. Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), a German Jesuit trained in philosophy and theology, was one of the most prolific and unique intellectual figures of his time. A professor at the Roman College, he maintained a vast international correspondence network and published works on subjects as diverse as linguistics, music, optics, geology, Egyptology, magnetism, and natural history. Although many of his hypotheses have since been superseded, his work remains fundamental to understanding the scientific and scholarly culture of the 17th century, marked by the ambition to gather, organize, and interpret all available knowledge. ! Please note that this translated text was generated by Google. !