John Dee

16th-century English mathematician, astrologer, and alchemist

AI overview

John Dee was a 16th-century English scholar who practiced mathematics, astrology, and alchemy—fields that blended scientific inquiry with mystical and magical traditions during the Renaissance. He matters as a historical figure because his work reflects how educated people of his era pursued knowledge across what we now see as separate disciplines, and his extensive writings and activities influenced intellectual circles in England.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1527
Died: 1608
Works: 65

Top works

Epistola fratris Rogerii Baconis, De secretis operibus artis et naturae, et de nullitate magiae
Elements of geometry
Libro del modo di dividere le svperficie
Parallaticae commentationis praxeosq
A triple almanacke for the yeere of our Lorde God 1591, being the thirde from the leape yeare

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person
Gender: Female
Origin: United States
Active from: 1950-05-27

americanjazzvocal jazz

Discography

Official site Discogs Stream

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 9,994
Total plays: 55,997

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple
· 1996 · cited 200,620x
Highly accurate protein structure prediction with AlphaFold
· 2021 · cited 41,712x
Gene Ontology: tool for the unification of biology
· 2000 · cited 36,354x
Matplotlib: A 2D Graphics Environment
· 2007 · cited 34,338x
The MOS 36-ltem Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36)
· 1992 · cited 28,853x

via Crossref · CC0

Quotes

“Cut that in Three, which Nature hath made One,Then strengthen hyt, even by it self alone,Wherewith then Cutte the poudred Sonne in twayne,By length of tyme, and heale the woonde againe.The self same Sunne twys yet more, ye must wounde,Still with new Knives, of the same kinde, and grounde;Our Monas trewe thus use by natures Law,Both binde and lewse, only with rype and rawe,And ay thanke God who only is our Guyde,All is ynugh, no more then at this Tyde.”
“It is by the straight line and the circle that the first and most simple example and representation of all things may be demonstrated, whether such things be either non-existent or merely hidden under Nature's veils.”
“Neither the circle without the line, nor the line without the point, can be artificially produced. It is, therefore, by virtue of the point and the Monad that all things commence to emerge in principle. That which is affected at the periphery, however large it may be, cannot in any way lack the support of the central point.”
“Therefore, the central point which we see in the centre of the hieroglyphic Monad produces the Earth, round which the Sun, the Moon, and the other planets follow their respective paths. The Sun has the supreme dignity, and we represent him by a circle having a visible centre.”
“Although the semicircle of the Moon is placed above the circle of the Sun and would appear to be superior, nevertheless we know that the Sun is ruler and King. We see that the Moon in her shape and her proximity rivals the Sun with her grandeur, which is apparent to ordinary men, yet the face, or a semi-sphere of the Moon, always reflects the light of the Sun.”
“We finish the brief hieroglyphic consideration of our Monad, which we would sum up in one only hieroglyphic context: The Sun and the Moon of this Monad desire that the Elements in which the tenth proportion will flower, shall be separated, and this is done by the application of Fire.”

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Wikidata facts

Image: John Dee Ashmolean.jpg

Show 7 more facts

Commons category: John Dee
date of birth: 1527-07-13
Commons gallery: John Dee
date of death: 1609-03-26
name in native language: John Dee
P12749: Nicolae Timofti
Commons Creator page: John Dee

Sources (7)

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~33 min read

Article

John Dee (13 July 1527 – December 1608 or March 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy. As an antiquarian, he had one of the largest libraries in England at the time. As a political advisor, he advocated the foundation of English colonies in the New World to form a "British Empire", a term he is credited with coining.

Dee eventually left Elizabeth's service and went on a quest for knowledge of the occult and supernatural. He aligned himself with several individuals who may have been charlatans, travelled through Europe, and was accused of spying for the English Crown. Upon his return to England, he found his home and library vandalised. He eventually returned to the Queen's service, but was turned away when she was succeeded by James I. He died in poverty in London, and his gravesite is unknown.