Continuumul discontinuu al devenirii: de la magie la metodă, o treaptă către modernitat
The Discontinuous Continuum of Becoming: From Magic to Method, a Step toward Modernity

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the conditions that enabled the emergence of Modernity and its distinctive mode of thought. It offers a nuanced perspective by tracing the interconnections between ethical, spiritual, cognitive, and institutional transformations, understanding Modernity neither as a radical break nor as a simple continuity, but as a discontinuous continuum of becoming. An important aspect to this process is the cultivation of inner discipline by the Devotio Moderna movement, which fostered a methodical approach to knowledge and the responsible development of self. The study also considers the role of early collaborative networks “brotherhoods”, “associations”, and the first “academies” devoted to the secrets of nature in shaping nascent forms of institutional research. Spiritual, hermeneutic, and institutional dimensions are explored, with examples drawn from Devotio Moderna and natural-philosophy academies (Academia Segreti, Academia dei Segreti, Academia dei Lincei), their observational methods, and the gradual transition from magic, through method, to scientia. Modernity is interpreted as a stratified process of becoming, structured by syncopations and overlapping temporalities that enable the emergence of a new rationality. Keywords: Books of Secrets tradition, natural magic, early modernity, devotio moderna, the discontinuous continuum, institutionalization of knowledge.

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