Ars magna

work by Llull

Also known as: “Ars magna, generalis et ultima”

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June 18, 2026

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The Ars Magna (Great Art) was a system designed by Ramon Llull, a Catalan mystic and writer, in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Llull aimed to create a universal science that could unify all knowledge and support Christian missionary work by providing a rational basis for faith. His method involved symbolic notation and combinatory diagrams to relate theology, philosophy, and the sciences, viewing them as manifestations of the divine. This system, which sought to find truth through logical combinations, influenced later thinkers like Pascal and Leibniz. While its apologetic use faded, the Ars Magna remained influential as a compendium of knowledge.123

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Ramon Llull
…is collectively known as the Ars magna (1305–08; “The Great Art”) and includes the treatises Arbor scientiae (“The Tree of Knowledge”) and Liber de ascensu et descensu intellectus (“The Book of the Ascent and Descent of the Intellect”). Llull attempted to place Christian apologetics on the level of rational discussion,…
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…is collectively known as the Ars magna (1305–08; “The Great Art”) and includes the treatises Arbor scientiae (“The Tree of Knowledge”) and Liber de ascensu et descensu intellectus (“The Book of the Ascent and Descent of the Intellect”). Llull attempted to place Christian apologetics on the level of rational discussion,…
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history of logic
The 16th century
His Ars magna, generalis et ultima (1501; “Great, General and Ultimate Art”) represents an attempt to symbolize concepts and derive propositions that form various combinations of possibilities. These notions, associated with lore of the Kabbala, later influenced Pascal and Leibniz and the rise of probability theory.…
Read More
His Ars magna, generalis et ultima (1501; “Great, General and Ultimate Art”) represents an attempt to symbolize concepts and derive propositions that form various combinations of possibilities. These notions, associated with lore of the Kabbala, later influenced Pascal and Leibniz and the rise of probability theory.…
Read More