IMC 2019: Sessions
Session 1643: Nicholas of Cusa, II: Reality and Materiality
Thursday 4 July 2019, 11.15-12.45
| Sponsor: | Cusanus Society of the UK & Ireland |
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| Organiser: | William P. Hyland, School of Divinity, University of St Andrews |
| Moderator/Chair: | Louise Nelstrop, St Benet's Hall, University of Oxford / Department of Theology & Religious Studies, York St John University |
| Paper 1643-a | Cusan Materialities: The Role of Artefacts in Nicholas of Cusa's De Visione Dei, De Possest, and De Ludo Globi (Language: English) Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Philosophy, Theology |
| Paper 1643-b | Nature and Dialectic in the Cusan Tradition (Language: English) Index terms: Philosophy, Theology |
| Abstract | Contemporary popular discourses tacitly assume that the relationship between human beings and material artefacts is one of domination: either we control them, or they control us. This session explores how Nicholas of Cusa provides philosophical resources to envisage this relationship outside of the category of power and domination and understands the capacity of artefacts beyond what their human makers ascribe to them, especially insofar as they seem to be capable to mediate ultimate truths. It also explores the speculative function of craftmanship knowledge in Nicholas of Cusa, understood as a heuristic model of conceptualizing reality. It is a technical and supremely practical knowledge, which is nevertheless often metaphorically employed to great effect in various areas of Nicholas' speculative thought. |