Magnes sive de Arte Magnetica

Frontispiece of the first edition of “ Magnes sive de arte magnetica”
Dedication page of “ Magnes sive de arte magnetica”
Frontispiece to Book III from the first edition of Magnes sive de arte magnetica

Magnes sive de Arte Magnetica ("The Lodestone, or the Magnetic Art") is a 1641 work by the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher.[1]: 192  It was dedicated to Emperor Ferdinand III and printed in Rome by Hermann Scheuss.[2] It developed the ideas set out in his earlier Ars Magnesia and argued that the universe is governed by universal physical forces of attraction and repulsion. These were, as described in the motto in the book's first illustration, 'hidden nodes' of connection. The force that drew things together in the physical world was, he argued, the same force that drew people's souls towards God.[3][4][5]: 15  The work is divided into three books: 1.De natura et facultatibus magnetis (Of the nature and properties of magnets), 2.Magnes applicatus (Applications of magnets), 3.Mundus sive catena magnetica (The world or the magnetic chain).[4][3] It is noted for the first use of the term 'electromagnetism'.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Findlen2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Kircher, Athanasius. "Magnes sive de Arte Magnetica". University of Lausanne. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GalChen-Morris2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Udias was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Joscelyn Godwin (February 2015). Athanasius Kircher's Theatre of the World. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-29174-0. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  6. ^ David Gubbins; Emilio Herrero-Bervera (19 July 2007). Encyclopedia of Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 463. ISBN 978-1-4020-4423-6.