Raymond Lull - The Desired Philosophy TreeTHEDESIRED PHILOSOPHY TREEBlessedRaymond LullDoctorIlluminatus and Martyr Contents First Section SecondSection Third Section Fourth SectionGOD, by the Virtue of your Trinity,here beginsThe Desired Philosophy Tree.FOREWORD1. Alone in the shade of a beautiful tree in a garden, I was consideringGOD & the state this world is in. I was sad, because the Lord our GODis so little beloved & known by his people. Few are those who lovehim & know him, & duly honor him, & thank him for the goodthey receive from him. And many are those who dishonor him, for on accountof small things of little worth, they fail to love & know him becausethey love such things more than him, & work harder for them, &so they are on the path to damnation, traveling toward eternal fire. Andthey lose that glory which is so great, that all men, whatever their number,cannot express it in full.2. As I was thinking these sorrowful thoughts, there came upon me,on account of the presence of the Tree under which I was, the desire towrite this Book & send it to my Son, so that with it he can acquireMemory & Science. With this Memory & Science he could get to knowGOD, & love GOD, & serve him with this Book, taking it to variouslands to spread the knowledge of GOD.3. Therefore, my Son, as I naturally love you, & if you are good& virtuous, I love you even more, I send you this Book. And knowthat this Book is good & useful for many things, such as remembering,understanding & loving GOD, & making the Holy Catholic Faith knownto those who do not know it, & for destroying the errors & falseopinions of this world, & for putting & solving questions, forcounseling, for fostering the virtues & destroying vices & so forth,for many other conditions.4. You should know, my Son, that there are good & useful thingsin this Book. You can know & experience them, if you know how to harvest,preserve & love the Fruit of this Tree. Therefore, I urge & adviseyou to be a cultivator of this Tree as long as you live, for it will enableyou to attain eternal life, if you know how to dwell in its shade &eat of its fruit.5. Know, my Son, that this Tree contains one species of the Artof Memory, & this species is its process. Now as the world isin great need of this Art, I desire very much to have the time & opportunityto write it; but I am too preoccupied with other things that I cannot bringto closure, & few are those who help me.The Four Sections into which thisBook is divided1 - The First Section explains the Structure of this book.2 - The Second Section deals with the Rules used for putting& solving questions.3 - The Third Section contains the Propositions, necessaryfor solving questions, & for gaining knowledge about many things.4 - The Fourth Section deals with the Questions, which canbe solved by applying the Propositions and the Rules.1 - THE FIRST SECTION - THE STRUCTURE OFTHIS BOOKThis Section is divided into Three Parts:PART 1 - THE FIGURE OF THE TREEPART 2 - THE CIRCULAR FIGUREPART 3 - THE DEFINITIONS OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THIS TREEPART 1 - THE FIGURE OF THE TREEThe Roots & Trunk of the TreeIn the First Part, we show the Figure of this Tree as follows: theRoots are made of a Chaos that is a confused mixture compounded of bothspiritual & corporeal things, and therefore the Tree has three Roots:the first is spiritual, the second is corporeal & thethird,a mixture of both, is the said confused Chaos.In the Trunk of the Tree we write the word 'Being', & wedo so because all things can be considered under Being, given that Beingis the most general term we can name, & we consider Being in ninemodes, as these nine modes include everything that can be thought of.The Branches of this Tree1. The Branches of this Tree are:Being that is GOD, & Being that is not GOD.Being that is Real, & Being that is Imaginary.Being that is Genus, & Being that is Species.Being that is Moving, & Being that is Mobile.Being that is Unity, & Being that is Plurality.Being that is Abstract, & Being that is Concrete.Being that is Intensive, & Being that is Extensive.Being that is Likeness, & Being that is Unlikeness.Being that is Generation, & Being that is Corruption.2. This Tree is planted in the memory, intellect & will, & especiallyin the operations of these powers. Its procedure enables the memory toremember past things, the intellect to understand truth & the willto love good things & hate evil. These operations can be done artificially,following the doctrine & Art of this Tree.3. And do you know, my Son, why men do not know how to use theirmemory to recall past things, or their intellect to investigate the truth,or their will to choose good & reject evil? It is because they do notknow how to apply the artificial instrument proper to these powers when they use them. And I convey this Tree to you, my Son, as an artificialinstrument to show you how to use your remembering, understanding &loving, if you learn it well.4. The Water with which you must irrigate this Tree comes from ThreeFountainheads: namely Faith, Hope & Charity: & from the Riverthat springs from these three Fountains flow four Rivulets calledJustice, Wisdom, Strength & Temperance. And you must water this Treeinten ways, as there are Ten Commandments, & generously give outits fruit in seven ways, as there are Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.PART 2 - THE CIRCULAR FIGURE  The Circular Figure contains four circles, three of which are moveable,as shown, & in the outermost circle, the letters B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,Kare written in nine Cameras. The next circle has nine Cameras with theletters L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,V. Then the next circle has the same letters asthe outermost circle, namely B,C,D etc., & the fourth circle has nineCameras containing the same letters as the second circle, namely L,M,Netc.The Flowers of this Tree1. This Tree contains the twenty-seven following Principles,or Flowers:Goodness, Difference, Potential.Greatness, Concordance, Object.Duration, Contrariety, Memory.Power, Beginning, Intention.Wisdom, Middle, Transcendent Point.Will, End, Vacuum.Virtue, Majority, Operation.Truth, Equality, Justice.Glory, Minority, Order.2. Eighteen of these Principles are from Ars Inventiva, ArsAmativa & Ars Generalis, & they are expounded in the said Arts.But we want to deal with this Art as succinctly as possible, and so wewill not explain them here, because you can learn them in the other Arts.The Meanings of the Letters In the Circular FigureB. Means Goodness, Difference, & Potential.C. Means Greatness, Concordance, & Object.D. Means Duration, Contrariety, & Memory.E. Means Power, Beginning, & Intention.F. Means Wisdom, Middle, & the Transcendent Point.G. Means Will, End, & Vacuum.H. Means Virtue, Majority, & OperationI. Means Truth, Equality, & Justice.K. Means Glory, Minority, & Order.L. Means Being that is GOD, & Being that is not GOD.M. Means Being that is Real, & Being that is Imaginary.N. Means Being that is Genus, & Being that is Species.O. Means Being that is Moving, & Being that is Mobile.P. Means Being that is Unity, & Being that is Plurality.Q. Means Being that is Abstract, & Being that is Concrete.R. Means Being that is Intensive, & Being that is Extensive.S. Means Being that is Likeness, & Being that is Unlikeness.V. Means Being that is Generation, & Being that is Corruption.My Son, you must know the above meanings by heartif you want to learn this Art, or else the knowledge of this Art will escapeyou: & this applies to everyone who wants to learn how to observe themeanings of the letters.3. You can guide your discourse with this Figure, my Son, by turning itsconcentric circles to form Cameras, for instance: in Camera BLCM the lettersare aligned so that B is in the outermost circle, L in the second, C inthe third, & M in the fourth circle. Now follow their meanings, &apply them all to the issue at hand by making affirmative or negative statements,so that the affirmations or negations in your answer are pertinent to thequestion and in keeping with the meanings of the letters and the Definitionsof the Principles of this Science signified by the letters in this Figure.ThisRule is general to this Science, & it will never fail you if you knowhow to observe it.4. My Son, if you wish to form another Camera, you can move on fromL in the second circle & put M under B, & keep C under M, &put N under C, as B & C have one meaning with M & another withN, and so on with the other letters in alphabetical order. And you canform all the Cameras you want, as you want, & adduce them all to theissue at hand in accordance with the questions put to you, & the variousthings you want to investigate, as you abide by the meanings of the Cameras.5. When a question is put to you, my Son, note the particular termsof that question, & investigate their natural properties with thisScience, & form your answer accordingly. You will discover these naturalproperties as you mix the terms with each other in the Circular Figureby turning the concentric circles & taking in the meanings of the termsaccording to the doctrine given in this Tree. For example, if we ask whetherthere is goodness, greatness, etc. in GOD, put P under the outermost B,& put C under P, & consider the Flowers of the Tree to which thequestion refers, & you will find the answer by following the meaningsof the letters. And if a question put to you contains no obviously explicitPrinciples of this Tree - for example, if someone asks whether fire isdry in itself - then reduce the terms of the question to the terms of thisScience in which all terms are implicitly contained, for instance: fireis good, great, & so on. PART 3 - THE DEFINITIONSThe natures of the above Principles are defined in this part, whichis subdivided into two parts:The First Part contains the Definitions of B, C, D, E, F, G, H,I, K.The Second Part contains the Definitions of L, M, N, O, P, Q, R,S, V.Definitions of BThe Definition of GoodnessGoodness is that by reason of which good does good, & thusit is good to be, & evil not to be.1. My Son, this is the definition of Goodness, & if anyone asksyou any question about Goodness, keep to this definition in your affirmationsand negations. And if you cannot stand by this definition with affirmation,then choose negation; and if you cannot stand by it with negation, thenconclude with an affirmative answer. And proceed in the same order withthe other Principles of this Science.2. It is also useful for you to decline each principle as follows:you can decline Goodness as the bonifier, bonifiable and bonifying; &Difference as the differentiator, differentiable & differentiating;& you can do the same with the other Principles of this Science, alwayschoosing to decline the terms which are the most suitable for answeringthe question.The Definition of DifferenceDifference is that whereby Goodness, Greatness, & the otherPrinciples are clear reasons without any confusion.Now Goodness, Greatness, etc. are declared to the human intellect byDifference. My Son, you should consider this Difference in three ways:namely the Difference that is between sensual & sensual, between sensual& intellectual, & between intellectual & intellectual. Thereis Difference between sensual & sensual, as between a horse & alion; Difference between sensual & intellectual, as between the body& the soul; Difference between intellectual & intellectual, asbetween GOD & angels. And note, my Son, that by 'sensual' we mean thebeings that are able to sense things, as well those which can be sensed:& we apply the term 'intellectual' to beings that are spiritual andnot corporeal.The Definitions of PotentialA Power (or Potential) is a Being that has greater Concordancewith its object than with any other being. And Potentiality the subjectin which beings exist in the possibility of becoming actual.Potential can be considered in two ways, & so we give ita dual definition. These, my Son, are the definitions of the letter B,& therefore you will consider these definitions in all the cameraswhere you see B, & follow them when answering any question that maybe put to you about B.Definitions of CThe Definition of GreatnessGreatness is that by reason of which Goodness, Duration, Power&the other Principles of this Science are great.The Definition of ConcordanceConcordance is that through which Goodness, Greatness, Poweretc. agree in unity & in plurality.They are concordant in unity, for instance: the Goodness ofbody & soul, as well as their Greatness convene in one being. And theyare concordant in plurality: as in the numerous parts of substance,& in numerous men in whom they convene. And you, my Son, will considerconcordance in three ways: Concordance between sensual & sensual:as between fire & air which convene in heat; Concordance between sensual& intellectual, as between the soul & the body which convene inconstituting one substance; and Concordance between intellectual &intellectual: like GOD & angels, who convene in loving & understanding.The Definition of the ObjectThe object is that Being in which the power is signified morethan in any other being.Objects are, for instance: color, which is the object of the eyes,as sound is of the ears, and fragrance of smell, and savor of taste, andtangible things are objects of touch, imaginable things are objects ofthe imagination, things remembered are objects of memory, things understoodare objects of the intellect, lovable things are objects of the will, andlikewise with other things like these.Definitions of DThe Definition of DurationDuration is that by reason of which Goodness, Greatness, Power,etc. are lasting.The Definition of ContrarietyContrariety is mutual resistance due to divergent ends.My Son, you will consider this definition in three ways: namelybetween sensual & sensual, between sensual & intellectual, andbetween intellectual & intellectual. Between sensual & sensual,as between fire & water; between sensual & intellectual as betweenbody & soul; between intellectual & intellectual, as between agood Angel and an evil angel.The Definition of MemoryMemory is the power meant for conserving the species that theintellect reproduces from real things by affirming & negating, &the species that the will reproduces from real things by loving & hating.Know, my Son, that this power is one part of the rationalsoul; & that in this Book you can acquire an artificial process forrecollecting past things, if you know how to use the meanings conveyedby the Cameras of the Second Figure, & if you know how to avail yourselfof the Propositions & Rules of this Science.Definitions of EThe Definition of PowerPower is that through which Goodness, Greatness, Duration, &the other Principles can exist and act.The Definition of the BeginningThe beginning is something that comes before everything elseon account of some priority.My Son, you will consider this definition of beginning in two ways,namely: substantial Beginning & accidental Beginning; substantialBeginning is considered in four ways, namely, as the Efficient,Material, Formal, & Final causes. Efficient: like a housebuilderbuilding a room. Material: like the stones & wood of which theroom is made. Formal: like the visible shape of the room. To livein the room is the Final cause, since the room is built for someoneto live in it. There are accidental Principles, like color &heat; given that color is the Principle of coloring, & heat is thePrinciple of heating, & so on with other accidents like these.The Definition of IntentionIntention is the instrument with which the end has its beginningsfor itself.My Son, you will consider Intention in two ways, namely: thefirstIntention, for instance: living in a room is the first intention, &the room made for someone to lived in is the second intention; & eatingis meant for living, and so forth. In this you can follow the proceduregiven in the Book on Intention which I wrote for you, so you mayknow how to use Intention to know & love GOD, and be well intentionedand follow the intention for which GOD created you, & endowed you withbeing.2. My Son, it has been a long time since I sent you my Book on Intentions,& as I have not seen you for quite a while, I do not know whether youhave made any use of it. If you have not put it to any use, I am excusedbefore GOD for my intention, & you remain guilty of yours, & youwill have to account for this on judgment day, even as you will have toaccount for this Tree I sent to you, if you do not learn to dwell in itsshade, & if you do not want to eat of its fruit.Definitions of FThe Definition of WisdomWisdom is a property by reason of which the wise understand.The Definition of the MiddleThe Middle is the subject in which the End influences the Beginningwith its virtue, which the Beginning sends back, along with its own virtueto the End of both extremes.My Son, you will consider the Middle in three ways: namely theMiddle of Conjunction, the Middle of Measure, & the Middle betweenExtremes. The Middle (or Medium) of conjunction is like a nail joiningtwo boards, or like heat that joins fire to air, or loving that joins twopersons together. The Middle of Measure is like a point existingin the middle of a circle; or loving, that exists in the middle betweenthe lover & the beloved; & Greatness, in the middle between Goodness& Duration; & air, in the middle between fire & water. TheMiddleof Extremes is like a line between two points, or a kingdom existingbetween two kingdoms, & so forth with other things like these.The Definition of the Transcendent PointThe Transcendent Point is an Instrument of the human intellectwith which it attains its object above the natures of its lower powers,& with which it rises above its own nature to attain the Supreme Object.My Son, you should treasure this definition most dearlyin this Science, for it will enable you to learn about GOD, & the OperationHe has within Himself, & other operations above the course of nature.Definitions of GThe Definition of WillWill is that by reason of which Goodness, Greatness, Duration,Power etc. are lovable.The Definition of the EndThe end is that in which Goodness, Greatness, & the otherPrinciples of this Science find rest and delight.My Son, you will consider the End in three ways: first, theEnd of Privation of beings that once were & are no more: likeyour mother who once was & is no more. Secondly, there is the End ofTermination,like the extremities of a body or of a realm. Third, there is the End ofPerfection,like GOD, who is the End of all things; or like living, which is the Endpurpose of eating; & this is the End most spoken of in this Science,& we have given its definition.The Definition of VacuumVacuum is the object in which no entity is considered at all.This definition, my Son, will enable you to consider the necessarythings without which nature cannot be complete; this definition detectsperfection & defect in things, if you know how to guide your discoursewith it by mixing it with the other definitions of this Science.Definitions of HThe Definition of VirtueVirtue is the origin of the union of Goodness, Greatness, Duration,Power, & the other Principles.The Definition of MajorityMajority is the image of infinite Goodness, Greatness, Eternity,etc.My Son, you will consider Majority in three ways: first,the Majority of one substance as compared to another, for instance: humansubstance has greater Virtue than the substance of horses. The secondkindof Majority is that of substance over accident, for instance: the Goodnessof your body is greater than that of your color. The third kindof Majority is that of one accident as compared to another, for instance:understanding is a nobler accident than seeing.The Definition of OperationOperation is the Being which completes or perfects the appetiteof the cause and its effect.Know, my Son, that this definition greatly enlightens the human intellect,once you know how to mix it in discourse with other definitions, as itenables you to learn about the essence of the operator, the operation,& the natural appetite between them.Definitions of IThe Definition of TruthTruth is that whereby Goodness, Greatness, Duration, Power etc.are true.The Definition of EqualityEquality is the subject in which the Final Concordance of Goodness,Greatness, etc... reposes.My Son, you will consider Equality in three ways: first,Equality between one substance & another substance, for instance: thefour elements are equally substantial parts of the universe; secondly,Equality between substance & accident: for instance, fire and its heatare equal in extension; third, Equality between one accident &another, as between understanding and loving.The Definition of JusticeJustice is the object in which Equality & proportion areconserved.Proportion, my Son, is the ordering of all parts for one end: likethe limbs of a body proportioned in the right size for that body, &so forth with other things like these.Definitions of KThe Definition of GloryGlory is the delight in which Goodness, Greatness, Duration,Power, etc... find repose.The Definition of MinorityMinority is a Being close to non being.My Son, you will consider Minority in three ways. First,the Minority of one substance as compared to another substance, for instance:stones have less substantial Goodness than trees. Secondly, theMinority of accidents as compared to substance, for instance: heat is somethingless than fire. Third, the Minority of some accidents as comparedto other accidents, for instance: seeing is less than hearing, & smellingis less than seeing, & so on with other things like these.The Definition of OrderOrder is the natural property on account of which things areboth proper and common. SECOND PART OF PART THREEDefinitions of LThe Definition of the Being that is GODGOD is the Being in whom Goodness, Greatness, Eternity, Power,Wisdom, Will & all other appertaining dignities are one identical number.In no being, my Son, are Goodness, Greatness, Eternity, Power, Wisdom& Will one & the same number, except in GOD alone. Now if therewere any such beings, any one of them could be GOD as many times as itswill desired to be GOD, because each one could know & obtain whateverits Goodness, Greatness, & Duration want to have. And as in GOD Power,Wisdom And Will are one identical number, GOD can have all that He canwill & know, because his willing is as great as his powering &knowing; & his powering is as great as his knowing & willing; &likewise, his knowing is as great as his powering & willing. For thisreason, GOD can do anything except what is defective or sinful, which Hecannot do because He does not want to, since his Power, Wisdom & Willare one and identical with Goodness, Greatness, Eternity, Virtue, Justice& Perfection, so that He cannot do anything sinful or defective.The Definition of Being that is not GODBeing that is not GOD is that which is a creature.This created being, my Son, is considered in eight species or modeswhich include all created beings, namely: Angels, the Firmament, theRational Soul, the Imaginative Power, the Sensitive Power, the VegetativePower, the Elementative Power & the Instrumental Power. And so,as questions are put to you, always consider the terms of the questionsto see under which of these eight species they fall, & respond accordingto their nature & according to the process of this Science.Definitions of MThe Definition of Being that is RealReal Being is that from which the human intellect draws the likenesseswith which it composes its imaginary understanding.This being, my Son, is called real because it exists on its own; &even if there were no human intellect, it would still be what it is initself.The Definition of Being that is ImaginaryImaginary Being is that which the human intellect reproduces& composes from the species in which it attains the truth about things.This being, my Son, would not exist if the human intellect were notwhat it is.Definitions of NThe Definition of the Being that is GenusGenus is the Being that exists above the species of things.My Son, substance is called the most general genus, & animals constitutea subordinate genus.The Definition of the Being that is SpeciesSpecies is the Being that is included in genus, & includesits individuals.My Son, think of this, for instance, as the species of humans &lions, which are included in the genus of animals; & the human speciesincludes individuals like Francis, Dominic, Raymond, etc...Definitions of OThe Definition of the Being that is the MoverThe Mover is the Being that moves potential things from powerinto act.Know, my Son, that the Mover can be considered in many ways.There is the Mover that moves itself by itself: like a man who moveshis feet at will and walks from place to place. Another kind Mover movesitselfwith something else: like a rider who moves from place to place onhorseback. And another kind of Mover moves other things with itself,like a ruler who deliberately sends a vassal from place to place, or likea writer who moves a pen with his hand. And yet another kind of Mover movesone thing with another, like a writer who moves ink with a pen, andletters with ink. And there is another Mover that movesanother thingwithin itself, for instance: fire moves air within itself, causingit to heat; & vegetative form moves remote vegetal matter within itsinnate vegetal matter; & sight moves the remote visible within itsownvisible; & likewise, the intellect moves remote intelligible objectswithin its own innate intelligible part. There is, my Son, another modeof the Mover, when an object, by its disposition, is an occasion fora power to move towards it; & so with other similar things.The Definition of the Being that is MobileThe Being that is Mobile is the mover's own object.My Son, you can consider this being in two ways, namely, accordingto natural & artificial mobility: natural mobility, as whenwater is heated; & artificial mobility, as when a writer movesletters, or a blacksmith moves nails; & so with other similar things.Definitions of PThe Definition of the Being that is UnityUnity is the Being that is considered without Difference.This being, my Son, is considered simply in itself, as one goodness,one greatness, & the same with all things considered in their simplicity.The Definition of the Being that is PluralityPlurality is the Being in which Difference appears more strongly thanin any other Being. Understand, my Son, that plurality consists of manythings that are not numerically identical.Definitions of QThe Definition of Being that is AbstractAn Abstract Being is one that consists of concrete parts whichbelong to its essence as its essence belongs to them.My Son, this being contains in itself concrete things in which it issustained just as they are sustained in it. Goodness, for instance, isan abstract being that contains in itself essential concrete parts thatsimply & essentially belong to it, namely: the bonifier, bonifiable& bonifying; and likewise with other things.The Definition of the Being that is ConcreteA Concrete being is one that manifests the figure of its essence.This being, my Son, is considered in parts, or as consisting of theparts of essence, as for instance the bonifier, bonifiable and bonifying.Definitions of RThe Definition of Being that is IntensiveIntensity is the Being that is closer to simplicity than to composition.With this being, my Son, you can tell which things have more entity,greater operation, and more virtue in composition.The Definition of Being that is ExtensiveExtensity is the Being that is closer to composition than tosimplicity.With this being, my Son, you can find out about the mixtures of essentialand concrete things, & the extensions that some things naturally producein others.Definitions of SThe Definition of the Being that is LikenessLikeness is the Being that exists outside of substance, &in which intrinsic beings appear.Likeness, my Son, is subjected to & sustained by the particularcomponents of the common sense, & especially the recently discovered& identified sixth Sense, which uses the voice to express intrinsicmental & imaginary concepts.The Definition of the Being that is UnlikenessUnlikeness is the Being in which the figure of Difference &Contrariety appears.With this figure, my Son, you can find out how Concordance & Contrarietyexist in contrary Difference in intrinsic things which remain hidden tothose who do not know how to learn this figure.Definitions of VThe Definition of the Being that is GenerationGeneration is the Being that consists of the generator, generable,and generating.Know, my Son, that natural things are moved from potentiality intoact by generation; as when a man generates another man, or when he generatesflesh from the food he eats; & as when the intellect generates imaginaryspecies from likenesses of its object, & as it generates its imaginaryact of understanding from them.The Definition of the Being that is CorruptionCorruption is the Being that is subjected to generation.Know, my Son, that corruption reduces actually existing natural thingsto privation; as for instance, when man became mortal due to corruption;or as corruption reduces a tree to privation; & so on with other thingslike this.NextContentsgeovisit(); |
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