Nicholas of Cusa: mathematics and the knowledge of ignorance

Abstract

This paper analyzes the work “A Douta Ignorância” by Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), with the aim of understanding the concept of ignorance and the use of mathematics treated by the author. Cusa was a 15^th-century philosopher, mathematician, and theologian who unified his understandings to deal with human formation. He made mathematics the axis of all theoretical and practical, abstract, and concrete explanations, managing to explain that without numbers there is no ignorance, and without ignorance, there is no knowledge. According to the author, when considering himself ignorant in certain aspects, man presents the virtue of humility and intellective development to know about what makes him ignorant. For Cusa, the concept of ignorance focused on the formation of man and self-assessment of the limits of his knowledge regarding man and the universe. To understand the importance of mathematics, debated by Nicholas of Cusa in the 14th century, one must consider that Mathematics, as a science, was essential for men in the past and continues to be a priority for intellective development in the present, 21st century. Therefore, past and present are complemented by the concept of long duration, from the perspective that learning from history develops the possibility of improving the present.

15th century; Nicholas of Cusa; Mathematics; Knowledge; Ignorance