Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>What is the epitome of science? Today, it is seen as residing in the scientific methods and practices of experimentation. For the Latin scholastics, the epitome of scientia has commonly been identified as the method and practice of demonstration. Yet Albert the Great (1200–1280) offered a different answer to our question. He relegated demonstration to a lower rank, and instead nominated mystical theology as the epitome of scientia. This chapter portrays how Albert envisioned his listeners leaving behind all ordinary modalities of cognition—negating, removing, and emptying their minds not only of cognitive content but also of their ordinary cognitive human abilities. We argue that Albert’s subject-centered practice of negative-mystical theology entailed a complete rethinking of the subject-object relationship, and we briefly discuss the epistemic virtues that this theology carried for the scientist as a creature and in practicing related theological disciplines.</jats:p>