The Renaissance Philosophy of Man

by Cassirer, Ernst; Kristeller, Paul Oskar

• ISBN13: 9780226096049
• ISBN10: 0226096041
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1948-06-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Despite our admiration for Renaissance achievement in the arts and sciences, in literature and classical learning, the rich and diversified philosophical thought of the period remains largely unknown. This volume illuminates three major currents of thought dominant in the earlier Italian Renaissance: classical humanism (Petrarch and Valla), Platonism (Ficino and Pico), and Aristotelianism (Pomponazzi). A short and elegant work of the Spaniard Vives is included to exhibit the diffusion of the ideas of humanism and Platonism outside Italy. Now made easily accessible, these texts recover for the English reader a significant facet of Renaissance learning.

Table of Contents

General Introduction

Francesco Petrarca Translated

Introduction

A Self-Portrait

The Ascent of Mont Ventoux On His Own Ignorance and That of Many Others

A Disapproval of an Unreasonable Use of the Discipline of Dialectic An Averroist

Visits Petrarca A Request To Take Up the Fight against Averroes

Lorenzo Valla Translated

Introduction

Dialogue on Free Will

Marsilio Ficino Translated

Introduction

Five Questions concerning the Mind

Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola Translated

Introduction

Oration on the Dignity of Man

Pietro Pomponazzi Translated

Introduction

On the Immortality of the Soul

Juan Luis Vives Translated

Introduction

A Fable about Man

Selective Bibliography

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.