Ramon Llull and the Secret of Life: An Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

Ramon Llull and the Secret of Life describes the enigmatic life of the celebrated medieval philosopher, mystic, and visionary who left behind more than 300 books in Catalan, Latin, and Arabic. He traveled throughout Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa to share his discovery of the combinatory art, a new language with parallels in Jewish Mysticism and Sufism. Though widely misunderstood in Llull's own day, philosophers of the Renaissance to more recent scholars who see it as a forerunner of computer languages. This book sets out to show the inner affinities between Llull's theory of mystical contemplation and his extraordinary religious experiences, and to elaborate the varieties of linguistic models he used to express himself. It concludes with selections from his most representative writings.

Amador Vega Esquerra is professor of the History of Ideas and Philosophy of Religion at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. Specializing in European mysticism and aesthetics, his recent works include Maestro Eckhart: El fruto de la nada and Passio, meditacio'i contemplacio.

JAMES W. HEISIG is a permanent research fellow of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture (Nagoya, Japan), where he has been since 1978 and which he served as director from 1991 to 2001.