EUR  â¬135.60EUR  â¬113.00 excl. VAT
Magic and Memory in Giordano Bruno
The Art of a Heroic Spirit
Series: - Brill's Studies in Intellectual History, Volume: 283
Author:
In Magic and Memory in Giordano Bruno Manuel Mertens unravels the enigmatic knot between the mnemonic treatises and the magical writings of the sixteenth-century Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno. Since long the magical orientation of the Brunian art of memory has been a preoccupation for Bruno scholars (like Paolo Rossi, Frances Yates and Rita Sturlese). This serious study of the philosophical underpinnings of both Brunoâs mnemonic treatises and his writings on magic shows that Bruno believed his mnemonic method could prevent demons from corrupting the cognitive process. Mertensâs focus on Brunoâs idea of deification through memory and the philosopherâs view on fiery heroic spirits points to a surprisingly literal reading of the hereticâs last words.
Manuel Mertens, Ph.D. (2011), Ghent University, has published several articles on magic, mnemonics, philosophy, geometry, and printing culture in the Renaissance. He teaches Latin in Antwerp, where he continues his research activities in affiliation with Ghent University.
"Manuel Mertensâs monograph offers a useful reassessment of Giordano Brunoâs operational conception of Knowledge [...] Mertens has written an accurate study of a very important area of Brunoâs philosophical inquiry. His aim has clearly been to reunite fundamental threads of Brunoâs work and describe the philosopherâs theoretical-practical approach to knowledge."
Pietro Daniel Omodeo, Caâ Foscari University of Venice, in ISIS 101.2 (The History of Science Society)
Pietro Daniel Omodeo, Caâ Foscari University of Venice, in ISIS 101.2 (The History of Science Society)
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Magic and Memory in Giordano Bruno: Towards a More Encompassing Perspective
â1.1âChanging Perspectives on Magic and Memory
â1.2âTowards a Broader Perspective
2 Special Features of Magical and Mnemonic Writings in the Sixteenth Century
â2.1âMasked on the Literary Stage? â2.2âThe Contradictions in the Mnemonic Works in View of Brunoâs Conception of Magic
â2.3âWriting on Memory: Cryptic Publications and Oral Teaching
â2.4âConclusion
3 The Concept of Similitudo
â3.1âSimilitudo from Foucault to Sturlese
â3.2âIn Search of a Definition of Similitudo
â3.3âThe Function of Similitudo
â3.4âThe Aim Expressed by Similitudo
4 A Spirit-Regulating Art
â4.1âSpirits in the Ventricles
â4.2âAn Internal Art and Its Inner Tool
â4.3âThe Map of the Mind
â4.4âBelief and Deceit
â4.5âDeceiving Demons in the Early Mnemonic Treatises
Conclusion
Bibliographical Note
âMajor Editions
âBrunoâs Works Used in this Book
âHistorical Documents
âEnglish Translations Used in this Book
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
1 Magic and Memory in Giordano Bruno: Towards a More Encompassing Perspective
â1.1âChanging Perspectives on Magic and Memory
â1.2âTowards a Broader Perspective
2 Special Features of Magical and Mnemonic Writings in the Sixteenth Century
â2.1âMasked on the Literary Stage? â2.2âThe Contradictions in the Mnemonic Works in View of Brunoâs Conception of Magic
â2.3âWriting on Memory: Cryptic Publications and Oral Teaching
â2.4âConclusion
3 The Concept of Similitudo
â3.1âSimilitudo from Foucault to Sturlese
â3.2âIn Search of a Definition of Similitudo
â3.3âThe Function of Similitudo
â3.4âThe Aim Expressed by Similitudo
4 A Spirit-Regulating Art
â4.1âSpirits in the Ventricles
â4.2âAn Internal Art and Its Inner Tool
â4.3âThe Map of the Mind
â4.4âBelief and Deceit
â4.5âDeceiving Demons in the Early Mnemonic Treatises
Conclusion
Bibliographical Note
âMajor Editions
âBrunoâs Works Used in this Book
âHistorical Documents
âEnglish Translations Used in this Book
Bibliography
Index
All interested in the intellectual currents of the Renaissance, the history of philosophy, the history of magic, demonology, the power of imagination, epistemology, the art of memory and Giordano Bruno.