The church, religious difference and the self in the philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa
This work examines the ideas of Nicholas of Cusa (c. 1401-1464). It brings together elements of his thought that have hitherto remained separate in the historiography, and it offers a new interpretation of the continuity between his ecclesiological and his philosophical works. In essence, I suggest that the theme of Cusa's ideas is one of man, and especially of man's intellect, as the conjunction between human and divine. Specifically, I argue that Cusa focuses upon human powers of communication, cognition and interpretation as the means to provide solutions to human conflicts, but equally as the means to achieve a degree of understanding about God. I begin by looking at those earlier strands of ecclesiology that I feel contributed most to Cusa's understanding of the church (including the work of William of Ockham, Marsilius of Padua, William Durant and Jean Gerson). I then discuss the work of Cusa's teacher and colleague, Heimeric van de Velde, and the philosophical principles demonstrated by Velde's ecclesiological texts. I go on to examine Cusa's conciliar <I>De concordantia catholica</I> and his papalist <I>Dialogus</I>, in order to show how the changing situation in the church led him to develop, but
Emerson, E. J.
The church, religious difference and the self in the philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa. This work examines the ideas of Nicholas of Cusa (c. 1401-1464). It brings together elements of his thought that have hitherto remained separate in the historiography, and it offers a new interpretation of the continuity between his ecclesiological and his philosophical works. In essence, I suggest that the theme of Cusa's ideas is one of man, and especially of man's intellect, as the conjunction between human and divine. Specifically, I argue that Cusa focuses upon human powers of communication, cognition and interpretation as the means to provide solutions to human conflicts, but equally as the means to achieve a degree of understanding about God. I begin by looking at those earlier strands of ecclesiology that I feel contributed most to Cusa's understanding of the church (including the work of William of Ockham, Marsilius of Padua, William Durant and Jean Gerson). I then discuss the work of Cusa's teacher and colleague, Heimeric van de Velde, and the philosophical principles demonstrated by Velde's ecclesiological texts. I go on to examine Cusa's conciliar <I>De concordantia catholica</I> and his papalist <I>Dialogus</I>, in order to show how the changing situation in the church led him to develop, but
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