Early anthropological interest: Magnus Hundt’s and Galeazzo Capra’s quest for humanity

Abstract

Starting with the study of Magnus Hundt's Antropologium (1501) and Galeazzo Capra's Anthropologia (1533), this article will first show that the comprehensive study of humankind ̶ with a focus on the unity of body and soul ̶ predates the Renaissance and has its roots in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Then, it will argue that these early anthropological works are narrowly linked to Italian fifteenth-century treatises on human dignity and to sixteenth-century commentaries on natural philosophy. Although neglected in secondary literature on Renaissance concepts of dignity, these anthropological treatises deploy much medical knowledge to buttress their portrayal of humankind. Finally, this contribution will demonstrate that both Hundt and Capra predominantly worked in the tradition of medieval authors, whose view of humankind and its possibilities was far less negative than what is often presented in scholarship on the Middle Ages. The conclusion takes a closer look at the theoretical implications of my analysis of the quest for humanity.

Man as Image of Nature in Magnus Hundt: The Perspective of a Thomist ca. 1500

“…Magnus Hundt has been so far quite rarely the subject of research. However, more recently his treatises on anthropology (Santing 2020), medicine (Lanska 2022), grammar (Kneepkens 2017) or logic (Hoenen 2023) have been analysed in more detail. We know that Magnus Hundt was a magister at the Saxon University of Leipzig from 1486 and achieved fame mainly as a logician and teacher in the faculty of arts.…”

“…Moreover, as the title announces, the book not only makes general statements about humanity's position in the world, but also deals with, for example, the individual organs, hair, nerves and intestines (Figure 1) in a thoroughly medical manner. The anatomical drawings that can be found on certain pages are intended to help the reader to understand and mentally process the material (see Sudhoff 1909, p. 119;Santing 2020;Lanska 2022). The first chapter of the text, which deals with the 'dignity of the superior human nature', gives us a somewhat more comprehensive overview of Hundt's conception of man.…”