The Multiple Meanings of the Term "Ars": "Scientia-Philosophia-Sapientia"

Abstract

The term ars has different meanings in the context of Medieval University. The semantic extension of this term includes meanings as scientia, sapientia and philosophia. The aim of this article is to point out this plurality of senses, as well as to introduce the tradition of liberal and mechanical arts in the evolution of Llull’s thought. To develope these aims, I have taken texts used by medieval studium, for instance: Student’s Guides, Introductions to Philosophy and treaties about the Division of Sciences. The comparison of these texts and the Lullian definitions of arts reveals important similarities between them, and shows the dialogue between Lullian art and the large semantic field of the medieval term ars. These points suggest a new historiographical turn of researching the lullian art in relationship with the medieval tradition, which could involve different researching proposes devoting to liberal and mechanic arts, the division of sciences and the philosophical vocabulary of the arts in the Lullian work.