A STUDY CONCERNING THE PHILOSOPHY OF NATURE BY NICHOLAS OF CUSA

1)这个世界是上帝的谜团。在《库萨的尼古拉斯的思想》中，我们可以找到奥尼格玛的思想。这个想法自然起源于《新约》，哥林多前书13，12：因为现在我们在镜子里看得很模糊，但面对面。现在我知道了一部分，但到那时，我就会知道，就像我也知道一样。但是库萨从它的起源发展了一个新的肯定的方面，即虽然我们不能在这个世界上说出真相本身，但如果我们仔细观察这个生物，我们可以模糊地看到一些真相，因为这个世界作为一个整体是库萨对数学和几何的兴趣的一个谜。在库萨最错误的作品《天主教协和》中，对数学和几何没有特别的兴趣，但由于他的主要著作之一《无知的文件》，他对它们有浓厚的兴趣。在这本书中，他说，数学对我们理解神是非常有用的。那么它有什么用处呢？例如，如果我们想象一条无限长的直线和…更多的是无限大的圆，那么这个圆就有无限大的周长，因此它与无限大的直线重合。因此，在几何学中，我们有时必须接受一个荒谬的事实，这是我们在这个世界上永远无法体验到的。在这一点上，库萨的尼古拉斯找到了一个有用的方法，通过它我们可以了解无限的上帝，他是超越的。3)世界和自然。库萨的自然概念意味着作为一个整体的世界在运动。(请参阅《无知的医生》二，c.10。这项动议来自于‘精灵’。从这个思想出发，尼古拉斯阐述了著名的无限宇宙的观点和地球运动的观点。对于中世纪的思想家来说，地球在运动的想法是非常巨大的，因为当时的运动意味着一个人的不完美。但是尼古拉斯可以用他自己著名的“相反巧合”的概念来克服这一困难。也就是说，最大运动与最大静止相重合。4)自然具有运动的等级秩序。库萨的自然概念，即它有一个等级秩序，但作为一个整体的秩序是运动的，这在当时确实是新的。他认为，在等级顺序中，有一件事在较低的顺序中是正确的，即使在较高的顺序中也可能是正确的(参见但这通常是不合逻辑的。为什么他会这样坚持呢？如果我们从上帝的绝对观点来看等级秩序的差异，那么秩序之间的相对差异就可以消失。那么，现代自然科学假设的自然一致性的概念可以很容易地从这个思想中产生。但我们必须注意到，尼古拉斯关于自然的研究本身的目的是到达上帝的真理，这是自然的奥秘，而不是自然之谜的解决方案。更少

1) This world is an aenigma of God. In thought of Nicholas of Cusa we can find out the idea of the aenigma. This idea has naturally its origin in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13, 12 : For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. But Cusa develops a new affirmative aspect of the aenigma from its origin, namely though we cannot the truth itself in this world, we can see vaguely something of the truth, if we look at the creature carefully, because this world as a whole is an aemigma of God.2) Cusa's interest in mathematics and geometry. In cusa's erliest work, "De concordantia catholica" there is no special interest in mathematics and geometry, but since one of his main books, "De docta ignorantia" he has a strong interest in them. In this book he says, that mathematics is very much useful to us for a apprehension of the divine. Then how is it useful? For example if we imagine an infinite straight line and … More an infinite circle, then this circle has an infinite circumference, and as a result it coincides with the infinite straight line. So in geometry we must sometimes accept a ridiculous fact, that we can never experience in this world. In this point Nicholas of Cusa finds out a useful method, by which we can understand something about the infinite God, who is transcendent.3) World and Nature. Cusa's concept of nature means the world as a whole in motion. (Cf. "De docta ignorantia" II, c. 10.) This motion comes from the 'spritus unversorum'. From this thought Nicholas elaborates the famous Idea of an infinite cosmos and an Idea of the earth in motion. The Idea of the earth in motion was very tremendous for the medieval Thinkers, because the motion at that time meant the imperfection of a being. But Nicholas could overcome the difficulty with his own concept of the famous 'coincidentia oppositorum'. Namely the maximal motion coincides with the maximal standstill.4) Nature has a hierarchical order, which is in motion. Cusa's concept of Nature, that it has a hierarchical order, but that the order as a whole is in motion, was at that time indeed new. And he thinks that in the hierarchical order one thing, which is right in the lower order, can be right even in the higher order (Cf. "De concordantia catholica, I, c.XXi, n.192 etc.). But it is usually quite not logical. Why can he insist so? If we see the difference in the hierarchical order from an absolute viewpoint of God, then the relative difference between the orders can disappear. Then the concept of Uniformity of nature, that the modern natural science supposes, can easily come in to being from this thought. But we must note that Nicholas' own end of his study concerning nature is the arrival at the truth of God, which is behing the aenigma of the nature, not the solution of a puzzle of nature. Less