Alexander Bonini (c. 1270 – 1314) was an Italian

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

philosopher, who became

Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor Minister General is the term used for the leader or Superior General of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi. He chose this word over "Super ...

. He taught at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

. A prolific writer, he is now remembered most for his ''Tractatus de Usuris''. It is especially notable for its subtle treatment of the pricing of contracts involving risks; for example it writes of

life annuities Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy transf ...

, 'we see men and women twenty-five years old buying life annuities for a price such that within eight years they will receive their stake back; and although they may live less than those eight years, it is more probable ''(probabilius)'' that they will live twice that. Thus the buyer has in his favour what happens more frequently and is more probable.'J. Franklin, ''The Science of Conjecture: Evidence and Probability Before Pascal'' (Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2001), p. 270.

References

Bibliography

*''Alexander Bonini, Un traité de morale economique au XIVe siecle: Le tractatus de usuris de maitre Alexandre d'Alexandrie'' (1962) editor A.-M. Hamelin * Alexandri de Alexandria, ''In Duodecim Aristotelis Metaphysicae Expositio'' Venice 1592.

External links

Franciscan Authors, 13th-18th Century: A Catalogue in Progress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonini, Alexander 1270s births 1314 deaths Italian Friars Minor Scholastic philosophers 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians Year of birth uncertain Ministers General of the Order of Friars Minor 14th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians 14th-century Italian writers 13th-century Latin writers 14th-century Latin writers 13th-century philosophers 14th-century philosophers