Nicholas of Cusa
Nicholas of Cusa was born in the town of Kues, located in southwestern Germany. His father Johan Krebs worked as a prosperous boat owner and ferryman on the Moselle River. Nicholas entered the Faculty of Arts at Heidelberg University in 1416 as a cleric of the Diocese of Trier. He studied liberal arts before leaving to pursue higher studies elsewhere. He received his doctorate in canon law from the University of Padua in 1423. While in Padua he met future cardinals Julian Cesarini and Domenico Capranica. He also became friends with the mathematician Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli. He then entered the University of Cologne in 1425 as a doctor of canon law. There he taught and practiced law while making friends with the scholastic theologian Heymeric de Campo. After a brief period in Cologne he returned to his hometown. He served as secretary to Otto of Ziegenhain, the Prince-Archbishop of Trier. Otto appointed him canon and dean at the stift of Saint Florinus in Koblenz.
In 1432 Nicholas attended the Council of Basel representing the Cologne dean Ulrich von Manderscheid. He stressed the determining influence of the cathedral chapter and its right to participate in succession policy. His efforts were to no avail regarding Ulrich's ambitions but earned him a reputation as an intermediary. Between summer 1437 and early 1438 he was part of a delegation sent to Constantinople. This mission aimed to bring back the Byzantine emperor for the Council of Florence of 1439. The reunion achieved turned out to be very brief. Nicholas later claimed that he chose to write on metaphysical topics because of a shipboard experience of divine illumination during the return trip. In 1446 he became papal legate to Germany. Pope Nicholas V appointed him cardinal in 1448 or 1449. He was named Bishop of Brixen in Tyrol in 1450. His Great Legation from 1450 to 1452 involved travel of almost 3000 miles. He preached taught and reformed across German lands. Duke Sigismund of Austria opposed his work between 1452 and 1458. The duke imprisoned Nicholas in 1460.
Nicholas wrote De Docta Ignorantia which is an epistemological and metaphysical treatise. He maintained that the finite human mind cannot fully know the infinite divine mind called the Maximum. Nonetheless he held that human intellect can become aware of its limitations in knowing God. Thus it attains what he termed learned ignorance. His theory shows influence of neoplatonism and negative theology. He frequently cites Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Nicholas noted that mathematical figures provide a means for the mind to consider how figures may be deformed and transformed. This prepares the mind to reach the coincidence of opposites in the Absolutely maximal Being. From the Catholic Encyclopedia edition of 1913 we learn his astronomical views evince complete independence of traditional doctrines. They are based on symbolism of numbers combinations of letters and abstract speculations rather than observation. He argued the earth is a star like other stars and is not at rest.
The cardinal's astronomical views were scattered through his philosophical treatises. He asserted celestial bodies are not strictly spherical nor their orbits circular. The difference between theory and appearance is explained by relative motion. Had Copernicus been aware of these assertions he would probably have been encouraged to publish his own monumental work. Like Nicole Oresme Nicholas also wrote about the possibility of the plurality of worlds. Steven J. Dick notes this debate spans from Democritus to Kant in his book Plurality of Worlds. Norman Moore tells us in The Fitz-Patrick Lectures of 1905 that Nicholas introduced an improvement in medicine. He proposed counting the pulse which up to his time had been felt but never counted. He suggested comparing the rate of pulses by weighing water run out of a water clock while the pulse beat one hundred times. This method allowed for quantitative measurement of heartbeats before the invention of watches with second hands.
In 1433 Nicholas proposed reform of the Holy Roman Empire and a method to elect Holy Roman Emperors. His proposal was essentially the same as what is known today as the Borda count. This system is used in many academic institutions competitions and some political jurisdictions. His proposal preceded Borda's work by over three centuries. Nicholas noted that government was founded on the consent of the governed. He argued since all men are free any authority comes solely from harmony and consent of subjects. If by nature men are equally strong and equally free true power could be set up only by choice and consent of others. Protestant writers were happy to cite a cardinal against Rome's assertions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They found his writings against the Hussites wrong however. Nicholas seemed to Protestants to give the church too much power to interpret Scripture instead of treating it as self-interpreting.
Shortly after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 Nicholas wrote De pace fidei or On the Peace of Faith. This visionary work imagined a summit meeting in Heaven of representatives of all nations and religions. Islam and the Hussite movement in Bohemia are represented at this conference. The dialogue presupposes greater accuracy of Christianity but gives respect to other religions. It agrees there can be una religio in varietate rituum meaning a single faith manifested in different rites. Nicholas's position was for Europeans not to retake Constantinople but simply to trade with the Ottomans. Less irenic but not virulent is his Cribratio Alchorani which is a detailed review of the Koran in Latin translation. While arguments for superiority of Christianity remain shown in this book it also credits Judaism and Islam with sharing truth partially. He argued that the true and settled power of one over others could be set up only by choice and consent of others.
Nicholas was widely read and his works were published in sixteenth century Paris and Basel. Sixteenth-century French scholars including Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Charles de Bovelles cited him. Lefèvre edited the Paris 1514 Opera. Nonetheless there was no Cusan school and his works were largely unknown until the nineteenth century. Neo-Kantian scholars began studying Nicholas in the nineteenth century. New editions were begun by the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften in the 1930s. They were published by Felix Meiner Verlag. In early twentieth century he was hailed by Ernst Cassirer as first modern thinker. Much debate since then has centered around whether he should be seen as essentially medieval or Renaissance figure. Societies dedicated to Nicholas can be found in Argentina Japan Germany Italy and United States. His well-known quote about infinity of universe is found paraphrased in The Book of the Law received from Angel Aiwass by Aleister Crowley in Cairo April 1904. The quote states I am everywhere center while circumference nowhere found.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was Nicholas of Cusa born?
Nicholas of Cusa was born in the town of Kues located in southwestern Germany. He lived from 1401 to 1464.
What did Nicholas of Cusa study at Heidelberg University in 1416?
Nicholas of Cusa entered the Faculty of Arts at Heidelberg University in 1416 as a cleric of the Diocese of Trier. He studied liberal arts before leaving to pursue higher studies elsewhere.
How did Nicholas of Cusa die or what happened to him in 1460?
Duke Sigismund of Austria imprisoned Nicholas of Cusa in 1460 after opposing his work between 1452 and 1458. The text does not specify the exact date of his death but notes he died in 1464.
What astronomical views did Nicholas of Cusa hold about the earth?
Nicholas of Cusa argued that the earth is a star like other stars and is not at rest. He asserted celestial bodies are not strictly spherical nor their orbits circular due to relative motion.
Did Nicholas of Cusa invent the Borda count voting system?
Nicholas of Cusa proposed reform of the Holy Roman Empire and a method to elect Holy Roman Emperors in 1433 which was essentially the same as the Borda count. His proposal preceded Borda's work by over three centuries.