Raymond Lulle ( Ramon Catalan Lu in ) (born v. 1235 with Palma de Majorque - died in 1315) was laic close to the Franciscains (perhaps it belonged to the Third Order of the Minors), Philosophe, Alchimiste, Poète, Mystique and missionary Catalan of the 13th century, descendant of a Catalan noble family.

Biography

A profane youth

Very young person, it was page of Jacques the Conqueror, king d' Aragon with which it is initiated with arts of the war. Later, he will become tutor of the son of the King, the infant Jacques, future king de Majorque of which he was the Sénéchal. Its education and its spirit then are entirely dedicated to the Chevalerie. At the court of the king, with Perpignan, it composed the Li of the cavalleria , treated duties of the perfect knight.

Conversion

About 1267, Raymond affirms to have had a succession of 5 visions of the Christ, after which it “converted” with a religious life (religious, and nonclerical): “ When he was seneshal of the table of king de Majorque, Raymond, young person still, was devoted to compose of vain songs and the worms and other fashionable vanities. One night, he had sat close to his bed composing and to write in his vulgar language a song for a lady, which he then liked of a foolish love. When it started to write it '', it saw the Lord Jesus-Christ. ” ( Life of Raymond ).

A legend thus tells the cause of the conversion of Raymond: in love with a woman who refused with him, Raymond continues it with horse until in a church of Majorque; in order to dissuade it to like it, this unhappy discovered its chest to offer to him the spectacle of a center corroded by cancer.

Studies, philosophy and proselytism

He studies with the Université of Montpellier, city which belonged then to the Royaume of Majorque. Its possible stay at the University of Paris is subjected to debate between historians. It is known that Raymond de Penyafort strongly disadvised to him.

In a constraining environment of Holy war and Enquiry, and after its conversion, the great originality of Raymond Lulle is to have courageously confronted, in an open and respectful way, the faith of the three religions monotheists Christianisme, Judaïsme and Islam, according to a reasoned and methodical sales leaflet, by leaving side the principle of authority. In its book of 1271, the Book of Nice and the three Wise Men , it preaches even the search for a syncretism of the three religions, idea that it gives up then in 1290 in its work Felix or Delivers Wonders , with the profit of a preference which it gives to the Christian faith, because of the dogma of the Incarnation.

The proselytism of Raymond was such as, usually speaking the Arab , it on several occasions did not hesitate to pass on other side of the the Mediterranean to try to convert the Musulmans. In 1307, it took part in famous the " disputes" of the Catalan philosopher against the Oulémas of the university of Béjaïa in Algeria. It is besides also with that its major work, Ars Magna , will be dedicated: it acts, by the play of the combinations of all the possible proposals, to be able to undoubtedly refute the arguments of the “infidels” and, by the force of the only triumphing reason, to convert them. “ This Art has as a finality to answer any question ” the “Art short” of Lulle must as well be expressed in art to convince an adversary, as in the handling of the weapons. Lulle thus recommends the creation of a monastic order and soldier made up knights of Christ.

The “enlightened Doctor”. But it was collected by sailors génois who renewed it in Majorque. It died there, is on board the boat which transported it, once arrived at ground the June 30th (?) 1315.

The writings of Lulle, strongly criticized by the Church after its death, were considered favorably by Papacy only in 1419, by the Pope Martin V.

Heritage and posterity

A Spanish philosopher of the years 1500, Jerónimo de Carranza, will be the founder of a philosophy of the weapons and a method of fencing in the line line of the thought lullienne.

The judgment of Descartes according to which the Art of Lulle is used “ more to speak, without judgment, things that one is unaware of, which to learn them ” ( Discourse on Method ), seriously harmed the reputation of Raymond Lulle. Jean-Jacques Rousseau makes a similar assessment, certainly inspired by that of Descartes: he speaks about “ the art of Raymond Lulle to learn how to chatter of what one does not know ” ( Emile or Of education , delivers V).

He is however regarded today as a brilliant precursor of the combinatory logic ( cf Leibniz), even of the idea of Artificial intelligence, with this close which he intended to use the deductive Logique and not inductive logic to lead “automatic reasoning” by means of swivelling wheels. It is with him that one owes the feeling of the accession of the Catalan language with the row of language of thought and arts person distinct from the Occitan. It is also forgotten that Lulle is a philosopher of the action.

The idea of the “machine to be reasoned” of Lulle will mark the spirits. The Pascaline will constitute of it a first beginning of realization, which will improve until giving the modern Ordinateur. The paradox of the Chinese Chambre of John Searle constitutes a paradox inspired of this “assisted thought” desired by Lulle.

Under the name of “Raymond Lulle”, vast a corpus of alchemical texts was constituted as from the 14th century and did not cease developing. In the wake of its extraordinary success as a Philosopher, of the anonymous “Lullistes” are reflected to compose under its name a growing number of treaties of Alchimie.

Work

Among more than four hundred works:

• the Book of Nice and the three Wise Men (transl. published in 1992 by the Editions of the Glare)
• the tree of the Philosophy of Love
• the book of the Friend and the Aime ( Free of Amic E Amat )
• Great Art ( Ars Magna )
• Felix or the Book of the wonders (translated of the Catalan by P. Gifreu, - editions of the Rock, Monaco 2000)
• the will (Available in all the good bookstores - published in 2006 by the Beya Editions)
• Blaquerne (translated of the Catalan by P. Gifreu, - editions of the Rock, Monaco, 2007)

See too

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