Folia Theologica 16. (2005)

Pál Bolberitz: The Beginnings of Hungarian Philosphy (The Reception of Nicholas of Cusa in the work of "De homine" by Peter Monedulatus Csokas Laskoi)

THE BEGINNINGS OF HUNGARIAN PHILOSOPHY

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Cusanus - about this topic, as consummating his treatise about human dignity: "It is usually said (i.e. Cusanus), that man is microcosmos, which is called universal creature by Christ, and actually, human being is a universal world (universus mundus), and thus he is a universal creature (universa creatura), that is the summing up of the world (epitome)."49 In the latter citation can be revealed the later concept focussing on human being, and typical of the modern times, which detaching itself from God, regards human being the measure of all of the things. Though Laskoi never seperated his anthropology from its Christian sources.

In the seventh chapter of Book I of "De homine" Laskoi, discussing the nature of the rational soul, quotes Cusanus in his "Exercitationum"Think it over carefully that human soul consists of four parts. Soul is of spiritual nature, so its parts are spiritual, too. We experience that human soul has mental function, from which four mental activities can be derived: the sensual longing, anger, the rational cognition and the mental activity aroused of free will."50 The quotation underlies that Laskoi - analysing the nature of soul - accepts Cusanus' thought about human soul without any comment, which is itself true (and refers to a Platonic influence), but in accordance with the current psychological knowledge we would say, that neither Cusanus, nor Laskoi did not differentiate the conscious and subconscious mental activities, and furtherly the emotional and explicitely spiritual mental activities (which of course cannot be reckoned upon them in their own age).

49 LASCOVIUS, „De homine”, Lib. 1. cap.. 3. p. 37. Laskoi according to Cusanus’ approach, who defines Christ as the „complicatio” of the created and non-created creature, and man — by Christ - is defined as a universal creature, writes the following on page 37 of his work: „Dicitur enim homo mikrocosmos, et a Christo universa creatura, quod universus mundus, ac proiude universa creatura, quius homo epitome est.”

50 LASCOVIUS, „De homine”, Lib. I. cap. 8. p. 123. „Cusanus lib. 8. Exercitationum: super illa verba: Dominabuntur populis etc. Considero bene, animam humanam ex quatuor suis elementis compactam: Anima enim spiritualis est. elementa eius spiritualia sunt. Nam experimur, animam humanam, vim quandam esse spriritualem, ex se quadruplicem motum exercentem, scilicet concupiscibilem, irascibilem, rationalem, et liberum seu voluntarium.”