Nicholas of Cusa (born in 1401 in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany - died August 11, 1464 in Todi) was a German cardinal of the Catholic Church, a philosopher, jurist, mathematician, and astronomer. He is also referred to as Nicolaus Cusanus and Nicholas of Kues. Nicholas is best known for his philosophy, encapsulated in two famous phrases: The "coincidence of opposites," meaning that the many entities and the diversity of the finite world coincide with the oneness of the infinite realm of God; and "of learned ignorance," the idea that the key to experiencing mystic unity with God through intellectual intuition is an awareness that a complete conceptual understanding of God is impossible and can only be acquired in a limited fashion. His thought exhibited strong elements of mysticism and Platonism within the framework of Christian faith. (from New World Encyclopedia)
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