▁whilst ▁modern ▁writers ▁like ▁George ▁Sau nd ers ▁have ▁cred ited ▁having ▁a ▁multiple ▁discipl inary ▁background ▁as ▁influ ential ▁on ▁their ▁work . ▁ ▁History ▁▁ 1 3 th ▁Century ▁Com bin atory ▁literature ▁first ▁emer ged ▁with ▁the ▁work ▁of ▁ 1 3 th ▁century ▁writer ▁and ▁phil os opher ▁Ram on ▁L l ull , ▁who ▁attempted ▁to ▁combine ▁philosoph ical ▁and ▁religious ▁reasoning ▁with ▁a ▁mechanical ▁device ▁known ▁as ▁a ▁z air ja . ▁E igh teen ▁core ▁questions ▁of ▁mor ality ▁were ▁considered , ▁accompanied ▁by ▁both ▁religious ▁and ▁philosoph ical ▁responses . ▁The ▁user ▁was ▁then ▁gu ided ▁by ▁visual ▁a ids ▁and ▁charts ▁leading ▁from ▁each ▁of ▁these ▁questions ▁to ▁a ▁response , ▁with ▁the ▁intention ▁of ▁definit ively ▁answering ▁any ▁question ▁or ▁doubt ▁regarding ▁mor ality ▁that ▁the ▁user ▁might ▁encounter . ▁L l ull ▁combined ▁writ ings ▁with ▁logical ▁argument ation ▁derived ▁from ▁an ▁algorithm ic ▁process ▁to ▁create ▁a ▁tool ▁for ▁converting ▁Muslim s ▁to ▁Christian ity . ▁He ▁believed ▁the ▁user ▁would ▁arrive ▁at ▁true ▁knowledge . ▁The ▁approach ▁of ▁combining ▁different ▁fields ▁of ▁thought , ▁in ▁that ▁case ▁mathematics ▁with ▁writing , ▁whilst ▁un success ful ▁for ▁L l ull , ▁would ▁res ur face ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁and ▁encou rage ▁philosoph ers ▁toward ▁a ▁similarly ▁cross - dis cipl ine ▁approach ▁to ▁address ing ▁problems ▁and ▁insp iring ▁cre ativity . ▁▁ 1 7 th ▁Century ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century , ▁phil os