Two centuries on the index of banned books: a scientific treatise with a machine that can distinguish truth from lies
Ars Magna
Spain — 16th century

Ars Magna
Spain — 16th century
This controversial work by the Catalonian philosopher Ramon Llull (ca. 1232 - ca. 1315) was banned for two centuries
He describes the great art and science how to differentiate between truth and lies with his "logic machine"
It consisted of seven concentric discs, which create various combinations of terms when moved
Ars Magna
- Ars Demonstrativa
- Ars Magna. Raimundo Lulio
Short Description
The controversial, long-banned work of the Catalonian philosopher Ramon Llull, which is known by the shortened title Ars magna, can be seen as the cornerstone of the science of logic. The term Ars magna, the “great art”, actually indicates a logical procedure, by which, with the help of a “machine”, various philosophical and logical terms and processes could be linked with one another. This outstanding discovery by Llull was of immeasurable worth for the history of scholarship, and his manuscript retained its significance during the Early Modern Period.
Ars magna
The Majorcan philosopher, logician, and Franciscan theologian Ramon Llull founded the literary tradition of Catalonia with his work Ars magna, the full title of which is Ars generalis ultima. In his work, Llull describes the great art and science of accepting reality and rejecting lies by understanding how to differentiate between truth and lies. This art, which he encapsulates with the term “Logic”, come from the idea of the mechanical combination of terms with the help of a logical machine. With the help of this logical machine, he created the algorithmic line of tradition of heuristics, and in doing so, founded an additionally important field of scholarship. His important manuscript, created in the mid–13th century, was rediscovered in the Renaissance and was furnished by anonymous illuminators with 29 illustrations.
A Catalonian Visionary
Ramon Llull was the son of a Catalonian knight, who fought under Jacob I of Aragon for the conquest of the Saracen-ruled Balearic Islands. Thus he grew up at court and was named the tutor of the princes at an early age. He led a courtly, worldly life and dedicated himself to the art of poetry as a troubadour. In the year 1263, a vision, in which he saw the crucified Christ next to him induced him to radically change his life. He undertook pilgrimages and educational tours, learned Arabic, and placed his poetic skill in the service of the Catholic faith. Llull quickly became a famous scholar and confidant of Jacob II, whom he educated. He **taught at the university of Paris and took part in the Council of Vienna. There he established professorships for the study of Hebrew, Arabic, and Chaldean at the universities of Paris, Oxford, Bologna, and Salamanca, making him a founder of Oriental Studies in Western Europe. On an educational tour in 1314, Llull went to Tunis at the behest of Jacob II, where, according to legend, he was attacked by an angry crowd of Muslims. He died soon thereafter and was **beatified as a martyr by Pope Pious IX.
A Great Work
Llull, who was active as a missionary throughout the entire Mediterranean region and who taught at the universities of Paris and Montpellier, was influenced by three cultures: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. He wrote a large part of his 280+ works in Latin and Catalonian, which makes him the founder of Catalonian literature. In the so-called Ars magna, he identifies a self-constructed “logic machine”, which consisted of seven rotatable discs around a center. Words were noted on each of these seven discs with different terms, e.g. Man, Knowledge, Truth, Fame, Welfare, and Quantity which indicated logical operations like Distinction, Agreement, Contradiction, and Equality. Turning these concentric discs results in different combinations of terms, which correspond to the final forms of the syllogistic principle. A catalog of specific types of logical conclusions was identified as a “syllogism”, which already existed in the logic of Aristotle, but was nonetheless expanded and engrossed by Llull. The scholastic significance of his work was enormous up to the 19th century.
The Effect of the Ars magna on the Global Population
While the teachings of Llull played an indispensable role in the intellectual development of Europe, his ideas were met with great distrust both in his own lifetime and also in the years to follow. For two centuries, Llull’s work was even officially forbidden because it contradicted the scholasticism that was present at the time. Nevertheless, his followers secretly studied and copied his scholarly writings. In the 17th century, his Ars magna was translated into a philosophical, university language and thus became very influential in various educational institutions. The principles described therein of the combinations of basic philosophical terms were taken up by many important scholars of the Early Modern Period. One of them was Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz, the founder of mathematical logic.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Ars Demonstrativa
Ars Magna. Raimundo Lulio - Size / Format
- 162 pages / 20.5 x 14.5 cm
- Origin
- Spain
- Date
- 16th century
- Epochs
- Style
- Language
- Illustrations
- 29 illustrations
- Artist / School
- Author: Ramon Llull (1232–1315)
2 available facsimile edition(s) of „Ars Magna“
Ars Magna. Raimundo Lulio
- Publisher
- AyN Ediciones – Madrid, 1990
- Limited Edition
- 995 copies
- Binding
- Parchment
- Commentary
-
1 volume by Antonio Bonner, Jose Martínez Gazquez and Virgilio Bejarano Sánchez
- More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Ars Magna. Raimundo Lulio
- Publisher
- Kaydeda Ediciones – Madrid, 1990
- Limited Edition
- 995 copies
- Commentary
-
1 volume by Antonio Bonner, Jose Martínez Gazquez and Virgilio Bejarano Sánchez
- More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Matching Works
Model Book of Rein
Influencing generations of artists: the oldest surviving sketchbook of the Middle Ages
Experience MoreDe Balneis Puteolanis
Originally dedicated to Emperor Frederick II: the oldest copy of Pietro da Ebolis' lost treatise concerning the healing properties of hot springs
Experience MoreMatching Background Articles
Renaissance
What does the word “Renaissance” bring to mind for you? Art, science, and culture of course! It was a "rebirth" and...Experience more16th Century
When did the Middle Ages end and the Early Modern Period begin? Most agree it was sometime in the course of the 16th...Experience more
- Treatises / Secular Books
- Apocalypses / Beatus
- Astronomy / Astrology
- Bestiaries
- Bibles / Gospels
- Chronicles / History / Law
- Geography / Maps
- Saints' Lives
- Islam / Oriental
- Judaism / Hebrew
- Single Leaf Collections
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Literature / Poetry
- Liturgical Manuscripts
- Medicine / Botany / Alchemy
- Music
- Mythology / Prophecies
- Psalters
- Other Religious Books
- Games / Hunting
- Private Devotion Books
- Other Genres
- Aboca Museum
- Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA)
- Aldo Ausilio Editore - Bottega d’Erasmo
- Alecto Historical Editions
- Ars Magna
- ArtCodex
- AyN Ediciones
- Bärenreiter-Verlag
- Belser Verlag
- Belser Verlag / WK Wertkontor
- Bernardinum Wydawnictwo
- BiblioGemma
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vaticanstadt, Vaticanstadt)
- Bibliotheca Palatina Faksimile Verlag
- Bibliotheca Rara
- CAPSA, Ars Scriptoria
- Circulo Cientifico
- Club Bibliófilo Versol
- CM Editores
- Collezione Apocrifa Da Vinci
- Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses
- Coron Verlag
- De Agostini/UTET
- DIAMM
- E. Schreiber Graphische Kunstanstalten
- Ediciones Boreal
- Ediciones Grial
- Edilan
- Editalia
- Edition Leipzig
- Edition Libri Illustri
- Editiones Reales Sitios S. L.
- Editions Medicina Rara
- Editorial Mintzoa
- Egeria, S.L.
- Extraordinary Editions
- Facsimile Editions Ltd.
- Facsimilia Art & Edition Ebert KG
- Faksimile Verlag
- Franco Cosimo Panini Editore
- Fundación Hullera Vasco-Leonesa
- Giunti Editore
- Graffiti
- Grafica European Center of Fine Arts
- Helikon
- Herder Verlag
- Hes & De Graaf Publishers
- Hugo Schmidt Verlag
- Idion Verlag
- Il Bulino, edizioni d'arte
- Imago
- Insel Verlag
- Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani
- Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
- Johnson Reprint Corporation
- Kaydeda Ediciones
- La Meta Editore
- Leo S. Olschki
- Libreria Musicale Italiana
- Lumen Artis
- M. Moleiro Editor
- Manuscriptum
- Millennium Liber
- Nova Charta
- Orbis Mediaevalis
- Orbis Pictus
- Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
- Patrimonio Ediciones
- PIAF
- Popyläen Verlag
- Prestel Verlag
- Priuli & Verlucca, editori
- Pro Sport Verlag
- Pytheas Books
- Quaternio Verlag Luzern
- Reales Sitios
- Reichert Verlag
- Roberto Vattori Editore
- Salerno Editrice
- Schöck ArtPrint Kft.
- Scrinium
- Scripta Maneant
- Scriptorium
- Siloé, arte y bibliofilia
- Styria Verlag
- Tempus Libri
- Testimonio Compañía Editorial
- The Clear Vue Publishing Partnership Limited
- The Facsimile Codex
- The Folio Society
- Tip.Le.Co
- TouchArt
- Trident Editore
- Vallecchi
- Van Wijnen
- Vicent Garcia Editores
- Wiener Mechitharisten-Congregation (Wien, Österreich)
- Yushodo