![]() ![]() ![]() In contemporary usage, the terms microcosm and macrocosm are also employed to refer to any smaller system that is representative of a larger one, and vice versa. However, the terms microcosm and macrocosm refer more specifically to the analogy as it was developed in ancient Greek philosophy and its medieval and early modern descendants. The view itself is ancient, and may be found in many philosophical systems world-wide, such as for example in ancient Mesopotamia, in ancient Iran, or in ancient Chinese philosophy. For example, the cosmological functions of the seven classical planets were sometimes taken to be analogous to the physiological functions of human organs, such as the heart, the spleen, the liver, the stomach, etc. Hence, it was sometimes inferred that the human mind or soul was divine in nature as well.Īpart from this important psychological and noetic (i.e., related to the mind) application, the analogy was also applied to human physiology. Moreover, this cosmic mind or soul was often thought to be divine, most notably by the Stoics and those who were influenced by them, such as the authors of the Hermetica. One important corollary of this view is that the cosmos as a whole may be considered to be alive, and thus to have a mind or soul (the world soul), a position advanced by Plato in his Timaeus. Given this fundamental analogy, truths about the nature of the cosmos as a whole may be inferred from truths about human nature, and vice versa. The microcosm–macrocosm analogy (or, equivalently, macrocosm–microcosm analogy) refers to a historical view which posited a structural similarity between the human being (the microcosm, i.e., the small order or the small universe) and the cosmos as a whole (the macrocosm, i.e., the great order or the great universe). Illustration of the analogy between the human body and a geocentric cosmos: the head is analogous to the cœlum empyreum, closest to the divine light of God the chest to the cœlum æthereum, occupied by the classical planets (wherein the heart is analogous to the sun) the abdomen to the cœlum elementare the legs to the dark earthy mass ( molis terreæ) which supports this universe. For other uses, see Macrocosm (disambiguation). A simple garden, of the type in which Augustine's conversion took place, in saintly contrast with the luxurious gardens and grottoes of pagan debauchery."Macrocosm" and "Macrocosmos" redirect here. ![]() Medieval art, architecture and society were saturated with religion and infused with symbols. This simple picture seemed to reveal a deep and fundamental truth about man and the world, and its importance for Renaissance architects can hardly be overestimated. As a proof of the harmony and perfection of the human body he described how a well-built man fits with extended hands and feet exactly into the most perfect geometrical figures, circle and square. Vitruvius 'had introduced his third book on Temples with the famous remarks on the proportions of the human figure, which should be reflected in the proportions. Rudolf Wittkower discusses their significance in his 1949 book on Architectural principles in the age of humanism. Illustrations of this type were used in many editions of Vitruvius and Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by them. In Shakespeare's Richard II, Act 3 Scene 4, the king's neglect the garden of England is compared with the care of his own garden. The illustration shows a man drawn within a square marked with the signs of the zodiac. A common mode of thought in the Middle Ages was to draw an analogy between a microcosm and macrocosm. ![]()
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