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Ficino's commentary on Plato's Timaeus offers the English reader,
for the first time, an opportunity to share the insights of this
highly influential Renaissance philosopher into one of Plato's most
important and controversial works. Here are discussed the perennial
questions which affect us all: What is the nature of the universe?
How did it begin? Does it have a cause outside itself? What is our
place in it? What is the nature of mind, soul, matter and time? The
central portion of the work, focusing on number, harmony, and
music, has exerted a strong influence on the history of Western
musical theory. Ficino added an appendix which amplifies and
elucidates Plato's meanings and reveals fascinating detail about
Ficino himself. This volume provides rich source material for all
who are interested in philosophy, the history of cosmic theory, and
Platonic and Renaissance studies. This completes the four-volume
series, including Gardens of Philosophy, 2006 (ISBN
978-0-85683-240-6), Evermore Shall Be So, 2008 (978-0-85683-256-7)
and When Philosophers Rule, 2009 (978-0-85683-257-4), which contain
all Ficino's commentaries not previously translated into English.
'Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this
world have the spirit and power of philosophy, and political
greatness and wisdom meet in one, and those commoner natures who
pursue either to the exclusion of the other are compelled to stand
aside, cities will never have rest from their evils, - no, nor the
human race, as I believe, - and then only will this our State have
a possibility of life and behold the light of day' - Republic, Book
V With these words Plato expressed his ideal form of government.
Often dismissed as unrealizable, they have appealed down the ages
to men of goodwill. Having translated all of the Dialogues from
Greek into Latin, at the request of his Medici patrons, Ficino was
asked to prepare summaries by Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto
ruler of the republic of Florence, who aspired to be the kind of
enlightened ruler Plato described. Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) was
one of the most influential thinkers of the Renaissance. He put
before society a new ideal of human nature, emphasising its divine
potential. As head of the Platonic Academy in Florence, and as
teacher and guide to a remarkable circle of men, he made a vital
contribution to the changes that were taking place in European
thought. With the collapse of the global economy calling the wisdom
of our political leaders into question, this publication is a
timely reminder of those principles which have formed the basis of
good government and inspired statesmen down the ages. This
four-volume series consists of Gardens of Philosophy, 2006,
Evermore Shall Be So, 2007 and All Things Natural, 2010, and
contains all Ficino's commentaries not previously translated into
English. As Carol Kaske of Cornell University wrote when reviewing
Gardens of Philosophy in Renaissance Quarterly, these translations
fill 'A need. Even those Anglophone scholars who know Latin still
need a translation in order to read quickly through a large body of
material'.
What made the Renaissance tick? Why had it such a force that its
thinking spread from a small group of scholars in Florence, working
in their own brilliant ways but coming together in Ficino's small
villa on the Florentine hillside, supported by the powerful but
highly intelligent Medici family - so that it affected the thinking
of the whole of Europe, and eventually of America, for five hundred
years and is continuing to do so? This is the first English
translation of some of the key works: Marsilio Ficino (1433-99),
having translated all the extant works of Plato's Greek philosophy
for the first time into Latin, absorbs their wisdom and here, in
forty short articles, presents to the Medici family, as his patrons
and sponsors, his commentaries on the meaning and implications of
twenty-five of Plato's Dialogues and of the twelve Letters
traditionally ascribed to Plato. The book puts the reader into the
moment of history when Cosimo de' Medici and his family were given
the opportunity which 'good rulers' have sought, from the earliest
Greek state till today, to unite power with wisdom. Though this
book will be an essential buy for Renaissance scholars and
historians, its freshness of thought and wisdom is presented by its
title, jacket illustration and introductory material as a book to
be reflected on by general readers of philosophy and wisdom. Here
is that extraordinary tsunami of human thought and endeavour and
sheer vital power that was the Renaissance, caught for us in its
early stirrings of new thought. This is a book of deep wisdom for
reflection, as well as a glimpse of mankind awakening once more to
its true potential.
MARSILIO FICINO of Florence (1433-99) was one of the most
influential thinkers of the Renaissance. He put before society a
new ideal of human nature, emphasising its divine potential. As
teacher and guide to a remarkable circle of men, he made a vital
contribution to changes that were taking place in European thought.
For Ficino, the writings of Plato provided the key to the most
important knowledge for mankind, knowledge of God and the soul. It
was the absorption of this knowledge that proved so important to
Ficino, to his circle, and to later writers and artists. As a young
man, Ficino had been directed by Cosimo de' Medici towards the
study of Plato in the original Greek. Later he formed a close
connection with Cosimo's grandson, Lorenzo de' Medici, under whom
Florence achieved its age of brilliance. Gathered round Ficino and
Lorenzo were such men as Landino, Bembo, Poliziano and Pico della
Mirandola. The ideas they discussed became central to the work of
Spenser, Shakespeare, Donne, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael,
Durer, and many other writers and artists. The first letter in this
volume is from Cosimo to Ficino, inviting him to visit him on his
estate at Careggii and to bring with him `Plato's book on The
Highest Good' (the Philebus) which Cosimo had asked him to
translate in 1463. Though there is some uncertainty about the
precise nature of Ficino's Platonic Academy, in another letter he
replies to a correspondent's request for `that maxim of mine that
is inscribed around the walls of the Academy'. This revised edition
has corrected errors made in the original translation more than
four decades ago, and the notes to the letters and the biographical
notes have incorporated much new material from scholarship on the
period which has grown enormously in the intervening years and
continues to flourish.
With the publication of Arthur Farndell's "Gardens of Philosophy"
(Shepheard-Walwyn 2006), there remained only four of Ficino's
commentaries on Plato's dialogues which had not yet been translated
into English. Farndell's translation of the commentaries on "The
Republic and the Laws" will comprise the third volume under the
title "When Philosophers Rule" and the fourth, "All Things
Natural", will contain the "Timaeus". As Carol Kaske of Cornell
University wrote when reviewing "Gardens of Philosophy" in
"Renaissance Quarterly", these translations fill 'A need. Even
those Anglophone scholars who know Latin still need a translation
in order to read quickly through a large body of material'. The
central message of 'Parmenides', that everything depends on the
One, resonates with the growing awareness around the world of the
inter-relatedness of all things, be it in the biosphere, the
intellectual or spiritual realms. Philosophers in ancient Greece
appreciated this unity and employed reason and dialectic to draw
the mind away from its preoccupation with the material world and
attract it towards contemplation of the soul, and ultimately of
that Oneness which embraces, but is distinct from, the multifarious
forms of creation. Thus Parmenides carefully instructed the young
Socrates, and Plato recorded their dialogue in this work which he
named after the elderly philosopher. Nearly 2000 years later,
Marsilio Ficino made 'Parmenides' available to the West by
translating it into Latin, the language of scholars in his time.
Ficino added a lengthy commentary to this translation, a commentary
which "Evermore Shall Be So" puts into English for the first time,
more than 500 years after its original composition. Ficino's
crucial influence upon the unfolding of the Renaissance and his
presentation of Plato's understanding of the One and the so-called
Platonic Ideas or Forms make "Evermore Shall Be So" an important
work in the history of thought. Though it will be an essential buy
for renaissance scholars and historians, its freshness of thought
and wisdom are as relevant today as they ever were to inspire a new
generation seeking spiritual and philosophical direction in their
lives.
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Short Works (Paperback)
Shankara Adi Shankara; Translated by Arthur Farndell; Edited by Kevala Goup
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R683
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