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Secrets of the Art
Revealed
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 1. supremely universal
1 This Art and Science is
supremely Universal
This Art and Science is
supremely Universal, as no Science treats of anything
whatsoever without using either this Art, or the terms of
this Art, or terms that can be reduced to them or
resolved into them; (Doctor Illum. in Introd. Art. dem.
cap. 35. n. 4. f. 19.) 'now the principles of the
Figures, on account of their utmost universality, are
amply sufficient for answering countless questions:
(Doctor. Illum. in Lib. Prop. Art. Dem. Dist. 4. p. 1. de
Quaest. f. 41.) "where a set number of explicit
terms produces countless implicit meanings, where
countless implicit definitions proceed from a set number
of explicit definitions, and likewise with the
conditions, rules and questions so that the Art, in its
greater universality or generality can unfold endless
sequences of implicit things from its explicit
parts:" (Doctor. Illum. in Art. Inv. Dist. 4. q. 9.
K.K. f. 157.) 'therefore any reasoning that exists or
that can be made, N.B. and even anything at all that
exists or that can exist is reflected in this Art as in a
mirror, where all Sciences appear.' (Doctor. Illum. in
Introd. Artis Dem. cap. 34. n. 1. f. 29.)
And it is supremely
Universal because it is more universal than Metaphysics
and Logic, even though 'this Art, as well as Logic and
Metaphysics all deal, as it were, with the same subjects
as each intends to deal with everything. However, this
Art is different from the two others in two ways, namely
in its way of considering its subject and in its way of
positing principles; now Metaphysics considers things
that are external to the Soul inasmuch as they can be
reasoned about in terms of being; and Logic considers
things in the way that they exist within the Soul, and
treats of certain intentions that follow upon the
existence of intelligible things such as genus, species
and things comprised in the act of reasoning like
syllogisms, consequences and so forth; but this Art, as
the supreme summit of all human Science considers things
equally according to either mode. However, it is
different as far as its principles are concerned: whereas
Metaphysics posits, formulates and discovers principles
and applies them directly to proofs regarding the
passivities or properties of its subject; and Logic
posits all the rules and considerations needed to make
syllogisms; this Science, however, does not actually
express any principles per se on which its arguments are
founded, but merely shows the way to find common
principles in every Science, if the terms of the Science
whose principles it wants to find are known, and with
some knowledge of these it posits some terms as
principles from which countless propositions can be
formed in the same way that countless words are formed
from a very limited number of letters of the Alphabet
etc.: and if propositions about specific subjects are
used in the demonstrations made with this Art, they are
accidental to the Art, since the demonstrations made with
this Art not only have to use these principles, but also
to form and discover principles, and not only common
principles, but particular ones as well. (Doctor. Illum.
in Introd. Artis Dem. cap. 1. n. 2.) and not only
particular principles, but also all particulars arising
from the particular principles of other sciences:
"And the reason for this is that this Art is
universal above all other sciences, and on account of
this universality, the particulars of other sciences can
be rationally reduced to it; hence, as it is more general
than all others, all others must be encompassed by it, so
that in judging their particulars, they can be purified
so the conditions that they have per se can be known in
accordance with the conditions that they have in their
universal principles. (Doctor. Illum. in Comp. Art.
Dist.2 de Reg. reg.39.f.88 )
"And although this
Science is intent upon these universals as prime causal
and essential principles, it is nonetheless chiefly
concerned with the universal that is actually caused by,
or consists in these simple primordial principles, namely
the medium for reaching final conclusions about any
particular contained in in it: now this universal is a
composite, and the more it is compounded and combined,
the more particulars it encompasses, because as it is
more and more compounded and combined, it consists in
more and more numerous simple principles." (Doctor.
Illum. in Comp. Art. Dist.3 de Quaest. f. 147.) And this
is a most profound secret.
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