The Art of Conjecture

"This is a very important contribution. Few, if any, interpreters of Cusanus writing in English are as insightful and concise in their expositions. Will appeal to intellectual historians, philosophers, and theologians."—Thomas M. Izbicki, Rutgers University

"Our late modern world trades less in certainties than in layers of conjecture, as reason feels burdened by pluralism and doubt. But already in the fifteenth century Nicholas of Cusa learned the art of flipping alterity on its head, a dialectical jujitsu that cleared a way beyond scholasticism. Clyde Lee Miller's new book brings his trademark clarity and acumen to this most relevant and challenging of themes. How can we draw near to the world, and to God, precisely through our conjectural knowing? Miller takes readers on a tour of Cusan wisdom on measurement, mapmaking, optics, and even God's mysterious non-Alterity. Both experts and beginners have much to learn from this master teacher."—David Albertson, University of Southern California

"The Art of Conjecture provides a careful, lucid, and accessible exposition of Nicholas of Cusa's reliance on a method of philosophical theology that employs 'conjectures' as tools for both embracing and exploring objects of inquiry that are beyond our natural capacities to understand with precision or certainty. In particular, Miller shows that, for Nicholas of Cusa, this conjectural method is meant to activate our awareness of the dialectical structure of God's giving and the possibilities of human receptivity to God's love. On the basis of this exposition, Miller's concluding chapters also gracefully articulate his hope that emulating Nicholas' conjectural approach may attune the method's practitioner to a form of obedience, humility, and love that manifests an ideal Christian life."—Jason Aleksander, San Jose State University