Georgius Agricola had not only for centuries been an authoritative figure in the earth sciences but he was also deeply involved in political and cultural reorganisation at the beginning of the 16th century. He strove for a new understanding of science attaching to it the quality of observing reality and the necessity of putting these observations into a systematic order, thus previewing the encyclopedic movement of the enlightenment. He could do this in a frame-work which was lent from the De-re-rustica-literature (...) which still acceptedvenatio, cursiositas andvirtuositas as preconditions for scientific research as well as for political activity. (shrink)