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St. Albert the Great

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (circa 1193-December 15, 1280)
    Born in Lauingen, Germany
    Catholic priest, bishop, scientist, and philosopher
    Considered by many to be the greatest philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages
    Ph.D. from the University of Paris in 1245
    Patron Saint of scientists, philosophers, Cincinnati, Ohio, medical technicians, students, the natural sciences, and World Youth Day
    Also known as Doctor Universalis, Doctor Expertus, Albertus Magnus, Albert of Lauingen, and Albert of Cologne
    Collected writings run to thirty-eight volumes
    Works available in English include 'On the Causes and Properties of the Elements,' 'Questions concerning Aristotle's On Animals' and 'On Union with God'

Why he might be annoying:

    At the behest of the pope, he preached in favor of the failed 8th Crusade.
    He believed in astrology.
    His birth year is unknown.
    He quit his post as bishop after only three years.
    Quality contemporary editions of his works are hard to find in English.
    He is largely forgotten today except by serious Catholic and/or philosophy scholars.
    Much of his scientific knowledge has been outdated for centuries.
    He was royalty.
    He sure had a lot of nicknames.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had a staggering intellect that astounds even today, not only being an expert in theology and philosophy but being the preeminent expert in the natural sciences, especially chemistry (he discovered arsenic), astronomy, biology and botany.
    He was nicknamed Boots the Bishop because of his constant travel on foot (out of humility and sympathy for his foot bound parishioners, he refused to ride a horse) as a bishop.
    He taught Saint Thomas Aquinas.
    He was the first great Western expert on Aristotle.
    He was an expert on birds especially falcons and wrote on their care and training.
    He taught and/or studied at almost all of the great European universities of his time, including Padua, Bologna, Cologne, Regensburg, Freiburg, Strabourg, Hidensheim, and the University of Paris.
    He inspired Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz and was mentioned favorably in Dante's Divine Comedy and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 289 Votes: 45.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 136 Votes: 46.32% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 295 Votes: 46.44% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 18 Votes: 38.89% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 96 Votes: 52.08% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 95 Votes: 48.42% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying