Pansophy

The pansophia ( lat. "Pansophia": "omniscience" in Greek. Pan: all, all, everyone, Greek sophia: wisdom.) Refers to a religious-philosophical doctrine of the 16th to the 18th century for an all-inclusive knowledge, a A summary of all sciences and a world-wide empire of scholars and peace strived for.

Content

Johann Amos Comenius (1592–1670) is considered to be the founder of pansophy , who in his writings Prodomus pansophiae (Oxford 1637, in: Porta sapientiae reserata sive pansophiae christianae seminarium - German: An open door to wisdom or seminar of Christian pansophiae ) and Schola pansophiae ( 1670) propagated an overall presentation of all sciences to form a comprehensive science. The aim was to achieve a union with divine wisdom through the knowledge of alchemy and magic . This ties in with the doctrine of the emanation of antiquity.

Comenius also used the term Pantaxia . His doctrine of pansophy is divided into eight world systems:

1. mundus possibilis: the possible world
2. idealis seu archetypus: ideal or archetypal world
3. intelligibilis seu angelicus: intelligible or angelic world
4. materialis seu corporeus: material or corporeal world
5. artificial: artificial world
6. moralis: moral world
7. spiritualis: spiritual world
8. aeternus: eternal world

With his work Prodomus pansophia he introduced the concept of pansophy into philosophy. He first used the term in 1633 in an introduction to philosophy. He saw it as harmful and inexpedient to separate belief from knowledge. His concept of pansophy is divided into five steps:

1. Universae Eruditionis Breviarium solidium: Thorough breviary of all learning
2. Intellectus humani Fax lucida: Shining torch of the mind
3. Veritatis rerum Norma stabilis: Unshakable norm of the truth of things
4. Negotiorum vitae Tabulatura certa: Certain tablature of the business of life
5. Ad Deum ipsum Scala beata: Blessed stairs to God himself

Comenius also gives a list of the epistemological , methodological and linguistic reasons why a pansophy has not yet prevailed or has stood in the way:

1. Scientiarum laceratio: The disruption of science

2. Methodi ad res ipsas non pentitissima alligatio: The lack of a close connection between the method and the things themselves

3. Verborum et stili partum incuria, partim intempestiva luxuries: On the one hand, the carelessness, on the other hand, the inexpedient overabundance of words and style

The system of the sciences of pansophy would result from the harmonious connection of all worlds (orbis) of reality, knowledge and language.

Paracelsus is seen in Germany as the founder of the local pansophy.

Biblical references to pansophy

In the letter of the apostle Paul to the Colossians it says: "[We] we admonish everyone and instruct everyone with all wisdom, in order thereby to make everyone perfect in communion with Christ" ( Col 1,28 EU ). This quotation from the Bible is the starting point for Comenius' doctrine of all-wisdom. According to his interpretation, it is stated here that mankind can only become perfect in Christ in the end if it teaches everything to everyone and that is exactly what everyone should strive for according to Comenius.

In addition, when explaining his pansophy, Comenius refers to a large number of other biblical passages from the Old and New Testaments, above all Genesis 1–3 ( Gen 1-3 EU ), where the history of the world from its “creation” to “ Fall of Man ”in Paradise. According to Comenius, Adam, the forefather of all, as a flawless and (initially) sin-free image of God ( Gen 1.27 EU ) in paradise had unrestricted pansophy or omniscience and with its help he was able to grasp and guide the entire creation . In addition, through his pansophy he was also completely focused on God and was (almost) completely perfect in him, and it is precisely this perfection that, according to Comenius, every person should always strive for. In short, for Comenius, life in paradise was a perfect life in harmony with God. According to Comenius, this “state” was suddenly ended by the fall into sin described in Genesis ( Gen 3,1-24 EU ). According to Comenius and the Bible, the fall of man is also the reason for the banishment of all people from the Garden of Eden for all time ( Gen 3:23 f EU ). In addition, man is said to have been burdened with original sin through the fall of man ( Rom. 5:12 EU ), by which Comenius understands the separation of all people from the perfection in God, which in his opinion still existed with Adam in paradise. According to Comenius, the fall of man was accompanied by a loss of innate pansophy.

According to Comenius, in spite of the fall of man and the loss of innate pansophy that went with it, one can still achieve perfection in Christ or God. He justifies this as follows: In the Bible, Jesus Christ, because he is said to have been a direct image of God just like Adam ( Col 1.12-20 EU ) ( Gen 1.26a.27 EU ) and also descended directly from him as the second Adam described ( 1 Cor 15 : 45-47 EU ). The first Adam (the Adam from Paradise) is said to have been responsible for the burden of man with original sin due to the fall of man; the second Adam (Jesus Christ), on the other hand, freed all humanity from original sin through his death on the cross and his resurrection ( Rom. 5:19, 21 EU ). According to Comenius, it is only because of this redemption that man can again attain the state of total perfection in God, as he ruled in the times of Paradise. It is only thanks to the second Adam that man can (almost) completely abolish the separation from God caused by the first Adam. What man now has to do in order to restore perfection in God, Comenius has given some concrete information. In the descriptions of his pansophy, Comenius describes the following three "images" which, according to him, rule and influence the world. First, there is the archetype of God, second, his image, creation, and, third, his counter-image, art or human work. In the time after the fall of man, man must now bring all three “images” back into harmony in order to achieve perfection and that is exactly what he can do because of his redemption from original sin through Jesus Christ. The harmonization only works if the person uses theoria (theory), praxis (practice) and chresis (application) in the right way. For Comenius, Theoria means first of all the knowledge of everything by which he understands the main ideas from all areas that are necessary for the turning to God. According to Comenius, practice is then the teaching and learning of the correct use of these main ideas, and finally, chresis, the correct use or application of these main ideas.

literature

(1) JA Comenius, De rerum humanarum emendatione consultatio catholica - German: Universal advice for the improvement of human things - 1642–1670; lat./dt. Heidelberg 1960 (in: Pampaedia, Eds. D. Cyzevs'kyj and H. Geißler)
Will-Erich Peuckert : Pansophy. Attempt on the history of black and white magic , 1936; three-volume expanded edition: 1956–1973

Web links

Wiktionary: Pansophie - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

German Comenius Society
Pansophia
Pansophia - third book of the 'advice' part of the digital monument: Comenius - student in Heidelberg - teacher of humanity.

Individual evidence

^ Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 49f
^ Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 51
^ Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 51
^ Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 52
^ Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published in the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 34
^ Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published as part of the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 77
↑ Definition of "pansophia" from the Lexicon real pansophicum by Comenius, quoted in: Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published as part of the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 33
^ Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published as part of the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 77

[1] Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 49f

[2] Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 51

[3] Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 51

[4] Linde, Jan Marius van der (1992): The world has a future. Johan Amos Comenius on the reform of schools and the state, translated and edited by Peter Meier, Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt, p. 52

[5] Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published in the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 34

[6] Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published as part of the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 77

[7] Definition of "pansophia" from the Lexicon real pansophicum by Comenius, quoted in: Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published as part of the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 33

[8] Schaller, Klaus (2004): Johan Amos Comenius. An educational portrait, ed. by Alfred Schäfer, published as part of the series Pedagogical Portraits, Weinheim: Beltz, published as part of the UTB working group, p. 77