The Art of Knowing Everything: Ramon Llull's Medieval Learning Machines (The Middle Ages Series)

An exploration of medieval philosopher and theologian Ramon Llull and his philosophical system through medieval and early modern book technologyThe Art of Knowing Everything explores the legacy of medieval philosopher and theologian Ramon Llull, tracing the transformation of Llull's philosophical system, known as the Art (Latin Ars), through medieval and early modern book technology.Operated by paper devices and combinatory diagrams, the Art was designed to generate a system of notation to prove the incontrovertibility of Christian faith.Llull envisioned the Art as an evangelizing tool that would combat the errors of unbelievers, transcend differences of language and culture, and universalize Christianity.In its afterlife, however, the Art was primarily deployed as a means to mechanize the process of producing knowledge about the world.This promise of the mechanization of universal knowledge claims, emblematized by the Art, captivated early modern students and readers of Llull's work.