Conclusiones sive Theses DCCCC, Pico della Mirandola: 11th Mathematical Thesis
By numbers, a way is had, to the searching out and understanding of everything able to be known.
Commentary on 11th Mathematical Thesis
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Themes
Pico della Mirandola's 900 Theses are an example of early Renaissance attempts to assemble and synthesize a comprehensive catalog of human knowledge. Brought to Rome in 1486, Pico intended to debate his theses publicly, but the debate never happened. Pico was condemned for heresy by Pope Innocent VIII.
Above is the rough translation, found in Conclusiones de mathematicis secundum opinionem propriam, numero LXXXV: 11. Per numeros habetur via ad omnia scibilis inuestigationem et intellectionem, ad cuius conclusionis verificationem polliceor se ad infrascriptas LXXIIII questiones per viam numerorum responsurum.
In asserting that number is at the root of all things, Pico here echoes a Pythagorean doctrine, preserved in Aristotle.