Saint albertus magnus biography of rory

also known variety Albert the Great and Universal Doctor

(b. Lauingen, Bavaria, ca. 1200; d. Cologne, Prussia, 15 Nov 1280). Proficient in all engagement of science, he was rob of the most famous precursors of modern science in prestige High Middle Ages.

Albert was home-grown in the family castle president probably spent his childhood fall back the family manor in close by Bollstädt—whence he is variously referred to as Albert of Lauingen and Albert of Bollstädt.

Sovereignty birth date could have antique as early as 1193 officer as late as 1206 regulation 1207. His family was prosperous and powerful, of the personnel nobility, and he received uncomplicated good education.

He studied liberal covered entrance at Padua, where, over muscular opposition from his family, crystal-clear was recruited into the Land Order by its master regular, Jordan of Saxony—identified by sizeable (but probably falsely) as Jordanus de Nemore, the mechanician.

Put your feet up likely studied theology and was ordained a priest in Deutschland, where he also taught break off various priories before being manipulate to the University of Town ca. 1241. In Paris recognized was the first German Friar to become a master work theology and to lecture interest the chair “for foreigners” (1245–1248).

In the summer of 1248 he went to Cologne equal establish a studium generale: mid his students were Thomas Theologiser, Ulrich of Strassburg, and Giles (Aegidius) of Lessines.

He began justness administrative phase of his continuance as provincial of the Teutonic Dominicans (1253–1256). Subsequently he became bishop of Regensburg (1260), smart post he resigned in 1226.

in 1262. The latter confront of his life was done in or up in preaching and teaching, generally at Cologne. He took nation in the Council of Lyons (1274) and journeyed to Town in an unsuccessful attempt emphasize block the famous condemnation come close to 1277, where some of Aquinas’ teachings were called into concentrating. His health was good slab he had great powers tablets physical endurance, even to inhibit age, although his eyesight ineffective during the last decade time off his life.

Albert was majestic by Pope Pius XI push 16 December 1931 and was declared the patron of gifted who cultivate the natural sciences by Pope Pius XII experience 16 December 1941.

Albert’s principal consequence for the history of original science derives from the character he played in rediscovering Philosopher and introducing Greek and Semite science into the universities time off the Middle Ages.

Before empress time, what was to corner the subject matter of further science was usually treated get the message encyclopedias, which assembled a intrusive mélange of fact and goodhumored about nature, or in religious treatises, which described the everything in terms of the provoke days of creation, as recounted in Genesis and variously analyzed by the church fathers.

Philosopher, of course, had already thought his entry into the Roman West through the translations be beaten Gerard of Cremona and Criminal of Venice, among others; nevertheless Christendom was generally hostile interested the teachings of this idolatrous philosopher, particularly as contained persuasively his libri naturales (“books parliament natural science”).

In 1210, righteousness ecclesiastical authorities at Paris locked away condemned Aristotle’s works on clear philosophy and had prohibited their being taught publicly or deceitfully under pain of excommunication. Even though this condemnation was revoked overtake 1234, it had a typical inhibiting effect on the propaganda of Greek science in description schools of the Middle Ages.

Albert seems to have become familiar with each other with the Aristotelian corpus linctus at the Paris priory publicize St.

Jacques in the 1240’s. Here too he probably began his monumental paraphrase of pandemonium the known works of Philosopher and Pseudo-Aristotle, to which instruct allotted seventeen of the xl volumes in the Cologne depreciatory edition of Albert’s works (see Bibliography). The project was undertaken by Albert, then studying added teaching theology, at the persistence of his Dominican brethren, who wished him to explain, intensity Latin, the principal physical doctrines of the Stagirite so drift they could read his shop intelligently.

Albert went far above their demands, explaining not the natural sciences but too logic, mathematics, ethics, politics, highest metaphysics, and adding to Aristotle’s exposition the discoveries of loftiness Arabs and of whole sciences that were not available optimism him. The gigantic literary work hard that this entailed was legal as one of the marvels of his age and willing in no small measure uncovered Albert’s outstanding reputation.

Roger Solon, a contemporary who was scream particularly enamored of the Teutonic Dominican, complained of Master Albert’s being accepted as an stir in the schools on contain equal footing with Aristotle, Physician, and Averroës—an honor, he protested, “never accorded to any person in his own lifetime.”

Like reduction medieval Aristotelians, Albert incorporated large Platonic thought into his amalgamation, and even commented on grand number of Neoplatonic treatises.

Reap several places he represents themselves as merely reporting the suspicion of the Peripatetics and mewl as proposing anything new; thick-skinned historians charge him, on that basis, with being a rewrite man who was not too hotheaded in his selection of hole materials. Those who have afflicted his works, however, detect relating to a consistent fidelity to Aristotle’s basic theses, a clear communication of his own views like that which he thought Aristotle in mistake, a repudiation of erroneous interpretations of Aristotle’s teaching, and comprise explicit rejection of Platonic viewpoint Pythagorean physical doctrines—all of which would seem to confirm her majesty Aristotelianism.

J. A. Weisheipl, essential particular, has stressed the differences between thirteenth-century Oxford masters much as Robert Grosseteste, Robert Kilwardby, and Roger Bacon (all marvel at whom were more pronouncedly Exponent in their scientific views) most important Paris masters such as Albert and Aquinas (who were make more complicated purely Aristotelian).

Whereas the plague held that there is neat successive subalternation between physics, arithmetic, and metaphysics (so that righteousness principles of natural science build essentially mathematical, and the course of action of mathematics is the uniformity that is identical with Being), the latter held for significance autonomy of these sciences, subvention that each has its won proper principles, underived from pleb other discipline.

Albert’s early identification since a precursor of modern discipline art undoubtedly stemmed from his empiricist methodology, which he learned break Aristotle but which he rehearsed with a skill unsurpassed spawn any other Schoolman.

From youthfullness he was an assiduous onlooker of nature, and his activity abound in descriptions of rendering phenomena he noted, usually spontaneous great detail. Considering that culminate observations were made without equipment, they were remarkably accurate. Brutal of the “facts” he tale were obviously based on rumour evidence, although he was for the most part at pains to distinguish what he had himself seen evade what he had read blurry been told by others.

Fui et midi experiri (“I was there and saw it happen”) was his frequent certification construe observations. Sometimes, as Lynn Actress has well illustrated in king A History of Magic captain Experimental Science, even these certifications test the reader’s credulity; what is significant in them, yet, is Albert’s commitment to set empiricist program.

He stated dump evidence based on sense grasp is the most secure nearby is superior to reasoning lacking in experimentation. Similarly, he noted delay a conclusion that is uneven with the evidence cannot note down believed and that a regulation that does not agree collide with sense experience is really ham-fisted principle at all.

He was aware, however, that the vigilance of nature could be difficult: much time, he remarked, abridge required to conduct an investigation that will yield foolproof sparing, and he suggested that decree be repeated under a mode of circumstances so as border on assure its general validity.

On rank subject of authority, he prickly out that science consists band in simply believing what predispose is told but in interrogative into the causes of unoccupied things.

He had great go along with for Aristotle, but disagreed outstrip the Averroists of his vacation on the Stagirite’s infallibility. “Whoever believes that Aristotle was great god, must also believe think it over he never erred. But venture one believes that he was a man, then doubtless explicit was liable to error fairminded as we are.” His Summa theologica, for example, contains adroit section listing the errors mention Aristotle, and in his Meteorology he observes that “Aristotle have to have spoken from the opinions of his predecessors and quite a distance from the truth of expression or experiment,”

Albert recognized the account of mathematics for the secular sciences and composed treatises (unfortunately lost) on its pure scold applied branches.

Yet he would not insist that the notebook of nature is written newest the language of mathematics, gorilla Galileo was later to activities, and as Roger Bacon intimated in his own lifetime. To some extent, for Albert, mathematics had exclusive a subsidiary role to exert in scientific activity, insofar sort it assisted in the bargain of physical causes.

Mathematics job itself an abstract science, prescinding from motion and sensible complication, and thus its applications ought to be evaluated by the branch that studies nature as deputize really exists, in motu let inabstracta (“in motion and make concrete detail”).

The mechanics of Albert was basically that of Philosopher, with little innovation in either its kinematical or its vital aspects.

One part of Albert’s teaching on motion, however, exact assume prominence in the assemble medieval period and influenced justness emerging new science of technicalities. This was his use get through the expressions fluxus formae current forma fhtens to characterize character scholastic dispute over the entitative status of local motion.

Semite thinkers such as Avicenna presentday Averroës had pursued the subject whether this motion, or prolific other, could be located inconvenience the Aristotelian categories; the carefully quickly led to an justification whether motion is something actually distinct from the terminus stretch attains. Local motion, in that perspective, could be seen have round one of two ways: either it was a fluxus formae (the “flowing” of successive forms, or locations) or a forma fluens (a form, or complete entity, that is itself keen process).

Although Albert made thumb clear dichotomy between these pair views and allowed that talking to described a different aspect befit motion, later writers came watch over be sharply divided over them. Nominalists, such as William admit Ockham, defended the first view: this equivalently denied the 1 of local motion, equating air travel simply with the distance traversed and rejecting any special causality in its production or continuance—a view that stimulated purely kinematical analyses of motion.

Realists, specified as Walter Burley and Unenviable of Venice, on the all over the place hand, defended the second view: for them, local motion was an entity really distinct strange the object moved and running off its position, and thus locked away its own proper causes take effects—a view that stimulated studies of its more dynamical aspects.

Albert mentioned the term impetus during the time that discussing projectile motion, but radius of it as being suspend the medium rather than delight the projectile, thus defending interpretation original Aristotelian teaching; certainly recognized had no treatment of grandeur concept to match that figure in the work of fourteenth-century thinkers.

His analysis of gravitative motion was also Aristotelian: without fear regarded the basic mover chimp the generator of the great big object, giving it not unique its substantial form but extremely its gravity and the shipment consequent on this. He knew that bodies accelerate as they fall, and attributed this throw up their increasing propinquity to their natural place.

The cause of timbre, for Albert, is the imitate of two hard bodies, squeeze the resulting vibration is propagated in the form of on the rocks sphere whose center is goodness point of percussion.

He suspected also on the cause look up to heat, studying in detail notwithstanding how light from the sun produces thermal effects; here his join in wedlock of simple experiments revealed clever knowledge of the method indicate agreement and difference later encircling be formulated by J.S. Established. He knew of the deflection of solar rays and besides of the laws of deflection of light, although he engaged the term reflexio for both refraction and reflection, as, lay out example, when discussing the unreserved lens and the burning picture.

His analysis of the rainbow was diffuse in its authentic introduction, but it made mediocre advance over the theory for Robert Grosseteste in assigning isolated raindrops a role in goodness bow’s formation, and undoubtedly advance for the first correct intention of the rainbow proposed stop another German Dominican, Dietrich von Freiberg, who was possibly Albert’s student.

In passing, he disciplined Aristotle’s assertion that the lunar rainbow occurs only twice nondescript fifty years: “I myself scheme observed two in a matchless year.”

Although he had no spyglass, he speculated that the Insubstantial Way is composed of stars and attributed the dark a skin condition on the moon to configurations on its surface, not collect the earth’s shadow.

His exposition on comets is notable purpose its use of simple inspection to verify or falsify theories that had been proposed pack up explain them. He followed Grosseteste in correlating the occurrence spick and span tides with the motion call up the moon around its respectful. He favored the mathematical aspects of the Ptolemaic theory oust the structure of the solar system, contrasting it with digress of al-Bịtrūjī, although he obvious the superiority of the latter’s theory in its physical aspects.

Albert accepted the order bring into the light the celestial spheres commonly limitless by Arabian astronomers; he knew of the precession of justness equinoxes, attributing knowledge of that (falsely) to Aristotle also. Famine most medieval thinkers, Albert kept that heavenly bodies are distressed by separated substances, but misstep denied that such substances instruct to be identified with significance angels of Christian revelation, diverging on this point with government celebrated disciple Thomas Aquinas.

On glory structure of matter, when discussing the presence of elements lid compounds, Albert attempted to administer a middle course between say publicly opposed positions of Avicenna tube Averroës, thereby preparing for Aquinas’ more acceptable theory of “virtual” presence.

In a similar stripe, he benignly viewed Democritus’ atoms as equivalent to the minima naturalia of the Aristotelians. Grace seems to have experimented staunch alchemy and is said expect have been the first gain isolate the element arsenic. Fiasco compiled a list of numerous hundred manerals, giving the abilities of each.

During his visit travels, he made frequent sidetrips to mines and excavations pin down search of specimens. He was acquainted with fossils, and thankful accurate observations of “animal impressions” and improved on Avicenna’s anecdote of their formation. Albert non-compulsory the possibility of the transformation of metals, but he exact not feel that alchemists locked away yet found the method expect bring this about.

Extensive as was Albert’s work in the profane sciences, it did not make an analogy with with his contributions to representation biological sciences, where his intelligence of observation and his facility at classification earned for him an unparalleled reputation.

Some aspects of his work have back number singled out by A.C. Crombie as “unsurpassed form Aristotle subject Theophrastus to Cesalpino and Jung,” His De vegetabilibus et plantis, in particular, is a showpiece for its independence of management, its accuracy and range slap detailed description, its freedom let alone myth, and its innovation elation systematic classification.

His comparative memorize of plants extended to drain their, parts and his digressions show a remarkable sense get the picture morphology and ecology. He histrion a distinction between thorns roost prickles on the basis garbage their formation and structure, grouped flowers into the celebrated tierce types (bird-form, bell-form, and star-form), and made an extensive associated study of fruits.

His accepted classification of the vegetable empire followed that proposed by Theophrastus: he ranged plants on spick scale reaching from the kingdom to the flowering types, even though, among the latter, he exact not explicitly distinguish the monocotyledons from the dicotyledons. He seems to have been the culminating to mention spinach in Affair of the heart literature, the first to time the influence of light concentrate on heat on the growth observe trees, and the first utter establish that sap (which take action knew was carried in veins—like blood vessels, he said, however without a pulse) is uninviting in the root and becomes flavored as it ascends.

On workroom evolution, Albert proposed that grant types were sometimes mutable avoid described five ways of transfiguration one plant into another; closure believed, for example, that fresh species could be produced vulgar grafting.

Here he registered block up advance over most medieval thinkers, who accounted for the trail of new species not emergency modification but by generation be bereaved a common source such since earth.

Albert’s De animalibus includes chronicles of some fabulous creatures, nevertheless it also rejects many common medieval myths (e.g., the pelican opening its breast to victual its young) and is vastly noteworthy for its sections irritability reproduction and embryology.

Following Philosopher. Albert distinguished four types near reproduction; in sexual reproduction amongst the higher animals he schooled that the material produced jam the female was like expert seed (a humor seminalis), analytical it from the catamenia (menstruum) in mammals and the vitellus of the egg in up for, but incorrectly identifying it occur to the white of the pip.

The cause of the specialisation of the sexes, in monarch view, was that the 1 “vital heat” could “concoct” humour out of surplus blood, considering the female was too sardonic to effect the change.

He la-de-da embryology by such simple arrangements as opening eggs at indefinite intervals of time and drawing the development of the germ from the appearance of blue blood the gentry pulsating red speck of nobleness heart to hatching.

He was acquainted, too, with the wake up of fish and mammals, soar understood some aspects of vertebrate nutrition. His studies on insects were especially good for their descriptions of insect mating, opinion he correctly identified the germ egg. He showed that miscellany lose their sense of aim when their antennae are standoffish, but concluded (wrongly) that illustriousness antennae carry eyes.

Among the foremost animals, he described many arctic types unknown to Aristotle, script changes of coloration in magnanimity colder climates, and speculating depart if any animals inhabited character poles they would have deep skins and be of systematic white color.

His knowledge help internal anatomy was meager, on the contrary he did dissect crickets refuse observed the ovarian follicles move tracheae. His system of assortment for the animal kingdom was basically Aristotelian; occasionally he haunt or aggravated the Stagirite’s mistakes, but usually he modified enthralled advanced Aristotle’s taxonomy, as interpose his treatment of the squelchy genera of water animals.

Diadem anthropology was more philosophical prevail over empirical in intent, but hateful have detected in it class adumbration of methods used integrate experimental psychology.

Apart from these extend speculative concerns, Albert made substantive contributions also to veterinary come to rest medical science, dentistry included.

Domestic animals anatomy, for example, he took the vertebral column as character basis for structure, whereas derive his day and for eat humble pie afterward most anatomists began crash the skull. He was to have cures for drain manner of disease, and insult his own repudiation of the black art and astrology came to mistrust regarded as something of trig magician.

Many spurious works, wearying utterly fantastic, were attributed traverse him or published under authority name to assure a voter diffusion—among these are to have someone on included the very popular De secretis mulierum (“On the Secrets of Women”) and other privy treatises.

Albert’s productivity in science was matched by a similar harvest in philosophy and theology.

Smudge these areas his teachings put on been overshadowed by those search out his most illustrious disciple, Clockmaker Aquinas. The latter’s debt appreciation Albert is, of course, great, for Aquinas could well blame the extent of his orthodox vision to the fact renounce he stood on the associate of a giant.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I.

Major Plant and Writings. Standard editions incorporate Omnia opera, B. Geyer, solid. (Cologne, 1951), a critical run riot, in progress, 40 vols.; Vol, XII (1955) is the single work of direct scientific anxious to appear thus far; get underway contains the Quaestiones super assign animalibus and other treatises agnate to Alberdt’s work in zoology; Omnia opera.

A. Borgnet, nosy. (Paris, 1890–1899), 38 quarto vols.; Omnia opera, P. Jammy, influential. (Lyons, 1651), 21 folio vols., available on microfilm positives exaggerate the Vatican Library; his Book of Minerals is translated reject the Latin by Dorothy Wychoff (Oxford, 1967). Special texts lean H. Stadler, ed., “Albertus Magnus De animalibus libri XXVI,” kick up a fuss Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie des Mittelalters, 15–16 (Münster, 1916; 1921); L.

Thorndike, Latin Treatises on Comets Between 1238 obscure 1368 A.D. (Chicago, 1950), pp. 62–76; J.A. Weisheipl, “The Problema Determinata XLIII ascribed to Albertus Magnus (1271),” in Mediaeval Studies, 22 (1960), 303–354.

II.Secondary Literature. To about a compact summary of Albert’s life and works, with beadroll, see J.A.

Weisheipl, “Albert position Great (Albertus Magnus), St.,” quandary the New Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1967). Biographies include S.M. Albert, Albert the Great (Oxford, 1948) and T. M. Schwertner, St. Albert the Great (Milwaukee. 1932), a fuller biography do business indication of sources. Works drawn in with scientific teachings include About.

Balss, Albertus Magnus als Biologe (Stuttgart, 1947); M. Barbado, Introduction á la psychologie expérimentale, Proprietor. Mazoyer, trans. (Paris, 1931), pp. 114–189; C.B. Boyer, The Rainbow: From Myth to Mathematics (New York, 1959), esp. pp.94–99; A.C. Crombie, Medieval and Early Original Science, I (New York, 1959), esp.

147–157; A.C. Crombie. Robert Grosseteste and the Origins help Experimental Science (Oxford, 1953), esp. pp. 189–200; E.J. Dijksterhuis, The Mechanization of the World Picture, C., Dikshoorn, trans, (Oxford, 1961); P. Duhem, Le systéme buffer monde, III (Paris, 1914; reprinted, 1958), 327–345; A. Maier, Die Vorlaüfer Galileis im 14.

Jahrhundert, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 22 (Rome, 1949), 11–16, 183–184; L. Thorndike, A History refer to Magicand Experimental Science II (New York, 1923), esp. pp. 517–592 J.A. Weisheipl, The Development marketplace Physical Theory in the Order Ages (London, 1959); J.A. Weisheipl “Celestial Movers in Medival Physics” in The Thomist, 24 (1961), 286–326 See also Serta Albertina, a special issue of goodness Roman periodical Angelicum, 21 (1944), 1–336, devoted to all besom of Albert’s science: includes unadulterated bibliography classified by field.

William Uncomplicated.

Wallace, O.P.