75834 - History of Humanist Philosophy

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide basic knowledge concerning the European Philosophy between the 14th and 16th century through texts and authors judged emblematic. In particular, students are able to recognize the major topics of Italian Renaissance and the relationships between speculative thought, philology and theory of the arts. Among the objectives of the course is to know and use the lexicon (in Latin and in Italian) of the humanistic philosophy as well as the main historiographical interpretations of the philosophical currents of the Renaissance.

Course contents

Module 1

General outline of Marsilio Ficino's philosophy.

The course will examine the formation of Marsilio Ficino's philosophical system, with specific attention to his "philosophy of love" and to the doctrines connected to it, such as the theories of beauty and harmony. This will also include the late Ficinian speculation on the beauty of the cosmos as it appears in his commentary to Plotin, especially in the part directed against gnostics and dualistic philosophies.

 

Module 2

Ramon Llull and Lullism in the Europe of Humanism (1316-1464).

The philosophy of Ramon Llull is a philosophy that is born out of school and in controversy with the scholastic tradition: a philosophy that uses a singular language, but conditions modern philosophy, as evident in Leibniz. The initial phase of Llull’s European fortune (starting from the work of his first students up to Nicolaus of Kues) is less known: following it in authors, texts and manuscripts, aspects of the philosophical work of the in XIV-XV century will be clarified and also will be clarified what was understood of the ars lulliana and how much remained hidden.

Readings/Bibliography

Module 1

The student will read: 

Marsilio Ficino, El libro dell'amore, a cura di Sandra Niccoli, Firenze, Olschki, 1987;

Erwin Panofsky, La prospettiva come "forma simbolica" e altri scritti, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1961 (and later editions)

 

Module 2

Texts.

Only one text, selected from the following

1) Raimondo Lullo, Arte breve cur. M. Romano, Bompiani, Milano 2002 (eventually see also: Raimundus Lullus, Ars brevis cur. A. Madre, Brepols, Turnhout, 1984, pp. 173-255 (Raimundi Lulli Opera Latina XII in Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Medievalis XXXVIII).

2) Raimondo Lullo, Il libro dell’amico e dell’amato in Letteratura Francescana V La mistica cur. F. Santi, Mondadori, Milano, 2016 (Scrittori Greci e Latini della Fondazione Valla), pp. 233-63 e pp. 437-52 a cura di C. Colomba. (Eventually see also: Raimundus Lullus, Liber amici et amati cur C. H. Lohr – F. Dominguez in “Traditio” 44 (1988), pp. 325-72.

3) Tommaso Le Myésier, Breviculum in Charles H. Lohr - Theodor Pindl-Büchel - Walburga Büchel (ed. comm.) Breviculum seu Electorium Parvum Thomae Migerii (Le Myésier) Turnhout, Brepols 1990 pp. XXVI-414 tavv. (Corpus Christianorum. Continuatio Mediaevalis 77. Raimundi Lulli Opera Latina. Supplementum Lullianum 1)

4) Tommaso le Myésier Parabola gentilis in Óscar de la Cruz Palma (ed.) Giuliana Musotto (trad.) Tommaso le Myésier La «Parabola gentilis» con la «Quaestio quam clamavit palam saracenis in Bugia» e l'opuscolo di Jean Quidort «Tractatus de probatione fidei per testimonia paganorum» Palermo, Officina di Studi Medievali 2014 pp. IX-195 (Machina philosophorum. Testi e studi dalle culture euromediterranee 38).

5) Nicolò da Cusa, De pace fidei in Nicolò Cusano, Opere religiose, UTET, Torino 1971, pp. 619-73 (eventually see also: Nicolai de Cusa, De pace fidei … ed. R. Klibansky – H. Bascour, Hamburgi, in aedibus F. Meiner 1959 (Nicolai de Cusa Opera omnia iussu et auctoritate Academiae Litterarum Heidelbergensis ad codicum fidem edita vol. VII)

Critical literature

Charles H. Lohr, Raimondo Lullo e Anselmo di Aosta in “Studi medievali” 29 (1988) pp. 1-17.

Charles H. Lohr, Metaphysics in C. Schmitt, Q. Skinner, E. Kessler, & J. Kraye (Eds.), The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1988, pp. 535-638.

Cesare Vasoli La «crisi» linguistica trecentesca, tra «nominalismo» e coscienza critica del «verbum» in Conciliarismo, stati nazionali, inizi dell'Umanesimo. Atti del XXV Convegno storico internazionale. Todi, 9-12 ottobre 1988 Spoleto (Perugia), Centro italiano di studi sull'Alto Medioevo (CISAM) 1990 (Accademia tudertina. Centro di studi sulla spiritualità medievale. Atti dei convegni 2) pp. 245-63.

Miquel Batllori i Munné, Il lullismo in Italia. Tentativo di sintesi cur. Francesco Santi - Michela Pereira, trad. Francisco José Díaz Marcilla, praef. Josep Perarnau i Espelt, Roma, Pontificio Ateneo Antonianum 2004 pp. 208.

Teaching methods

Lectures. During class the teacher reads, translates and comments on relevant textual passages and thematic nodes.

Assessment methods

Oral examination: Students are recommended to bring the texts when examining.
Students who have attended lectures may agree on exams (whether written or oral) devoted to specific topics.

Assessment criteria and thresholds of evaluation:

30 cum laude - Excellent as to knowledge, philosophical lexicon and critical expression.

30 – Excellent: knowledge is complete, well argued and correctly expressed, with some slight faults.

27-29 – Good: thorough and satisfactory knowledge; essentially correct expression.

24-26 - Fairly good: knowledge broadly acquired, and not always correctely expressed.

21-23 – Sufficient: superficial and partial knowledge; exposure and articulation are incomplete and often not sufficiently appropriate

18-21 - Almost sufficient: superficial and decontextualized knowledge. The exposure of the contents shows important gaps.

Exam failed - Students are requested to show up at a subsequent exam session if basic skills and knowledge are not sufficiently acquired and not placed in the historical-philosophical context.

Teaching tools

books

Office hours

See the website of Franco Bacchelli

See the website of Francesco Santi