Nicholas Oresme Quotes
Nicholas Oresme was a French scholastic philosopher, mathematician, economist, theologian, and bishop of Lisieux, and one of the most original thinkers of the fourteenth century. Trained at the University of Paris and a long-time master of the College of Navarre, he advised King Charles V and translated Aristotle's Ethics, Politics, On the Heavens, and On the Soul into French, coining a wide vocabulary of philosophical terms that survives in modern French. The quotes below are attributed to Nicholas Oresme, organized by topic.
Nicholas Oresme on Knowledge
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Attributed to Nicholas Oresme:
“Quantities of any kind may be represented by lines and surfaces.”
Nicholas Oresme on Nature
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Attributed to Nicholas Oresme:
“It is mathematically as reasonable to suppose the Earth turns daily as to suppose the heavens do.”
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Attributed to Nicholas Oresme:
“Many natural marvels can be explained by ordinary causes, if we examine them with care.”
Nicholas Oresme on Politics
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Attributed to Nicholas Oresme:
“Bad money drives out good in circulation.”
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Attributed to Nicholas Oresme:
“The prince has no right to change the value of the coinage at his pleasure.”