Fortunio Liceti (Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy) (original) (raw)
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Francesco Guicciardini, Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy, Springer, 2018
Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy
Strangely, philosophy has not given Francesco Guicciardini the same attention that Niccolò Machiavelli has received, although they both, from different perspectives and diverse backgrounds, focused their work on the very same object: the search for a way to establish in Florence a «well-structured and well-ordered regime that enjoyed genuine liberty» and promote a true political life. Both men thought about this subject from the vantage point of their experiences and their fears. Both belonged to a generation which lived under the constant threat of war, as Machiavelli wrote to Guicciardini (3 January 1526): «Always, as far back as I can remember, war has either been going on or has been talked about». Each of them, in his own individual way, was an original scholar and had a great influence on the subsequent philosophical and political tradition. The reason behind Guicciardini's marginal position in the field of philosophical thought, may lie in the posthumous success of his work, due to the late discovery of some of his most influential writings, which included the Dialogo del reggimento di Firenze (Dialogue on the government of Florence) and the final draft of the Ricordi (Maxims), both published only in the second half of the 19th century. The popularity he gained in the 16th century, and which could have indeed affected the history of ideas, was limited to the Storia d'Italia (History of Italy, 1561) and the partial collection of his Ricordi (1576). Nevertheless, these two works did not fail to have a profound impact on political as well as historical and philosophical thought.
With The History of the Council of Trent, published in London in 1619, the Venetian Paolo Sarpi established himself as both the greatest Italian historian in the seventeenth century and the most formidable adversary of the Counter-Reformation in Italy. His life changed decisively in 1606 when Pope Paul V laid Venice under the Interdict. A friar in the order of the Servants of Mary, Sarpi was a staunch defender of the Republic, playing a key role in the "war of words" that lasted for a whole year between the two contenders, much to the amazement of the major European men of letters and rulers. He was 54 when he first entered the political scene and began writing for the press. Prior to that, he had concentrated on philosophical and scientific studies. In his Thoughts he discussed in the form of notes and aphorisms the most current themes of the scientific revolution; he also offered a disillusioned review of the natural and human world, reappraising with radical skepticism the development of society and religion. The Interdict made him venture onto the field of politics and history, and this engrossed him more and more for the rest of his life. Writing thus became for Sarpi an instrument of political warfare to defend the sovereignty of the State and a means for a controversial reconstruction of the history of the Roman Church.
Gianfrancesco Pico_Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy (Springer)
Gianfrancesco II Pico della Mirandola, Duke of Mirandola and Count of Concordia, is a sixteenth-century philosopher, theologian, poet, and political figure, attributable to the Savonarolan movement of the Piagnoni. He is often referred to as one of the first Renaissance intellectuals to rediscover Sextus Empiricus and employ Pyrrhonian skepticism in their philosophical treatises. He is also known as the official biographer of friar Girolamo Savonarola, and as the biographer/ editor of his uncle, Giovanni II Pico della Mirandola. His philosophical and religious views, in continuous dialogue between humanist curiosity and Savonarolan devotion, characterize him as a fierce antagonist of the numerous attempts at finding concord between ancient and early modern forms of knowledge and belief pursued at the time.
Flandino, Ambrogio, in Ecyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy, Springer, 2017
Despite the lack of novelty in his thought and of elegance in his writings, Ambrogio Flandino was in many ways a rather important voice in several debates of the early sixteenth-century Italian intellectual world, engaging in philosophical and theological disputes with Eras-mus, Pietro Pomponazzi, and Martin Luther.
Acciaiuoli, Donato - Springer Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy
Donato Acciaiuoli was one of the best known humanists, politicians, and orators in the age of Lorenzo de’ Medici. He frequented the most important humanists of the time and was part of the Accademia Fiorentina. His literary activity was primarily focused on commenting and trans- lating into Latin the thoughts of Greek writers, especially philosophers and historians. He commented on the Ethics and the Politics of Aris- totle, from Plutarch he drew the lives of Alcibia- des, Demetrius, Hannibal, and Scipio, and he translated into Italian, as appointed by the Signoria of Florence, Leonardo Bruni’s Historiae Florentini populi. He was also personally involved in Florentine political life, contributing to the development of the Medici policy. He was Vicar of the Casentino and Poppi, Superintendent of the Florentine Studio, Ambassador, as well as Standard-Bearer of justice. At his death, the 28 August, 1478, Cristoforo Landino composed his funeral eulogy, and Angelo Poliziano wrote the text for his tombstone.
Benci, Francesco - Springer Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy
Francesco Benci (1542–1594) was an Italian humanist, poet, and professor of Rhetoric, Jesuit since the 1562. He studied in Rome under the supervision of Marc’Antoine Muret and along his life he taught Rhetoric in Siena, Perugia, and Rome. He composed, in Latin, an epic poem (Quinque martyres e Societate Iesu in India libri sex), a work on Rhetoric (De Stylo et Scriptione), many orations (Orationes), lyrics (Carminum libri quattuor), and three allegorical dramas (Ergastus, Philotimus, Elisaeus). He also com- piled and edited five volumes of the Annuae litterae of the Society of Jesus for the years between 1586 and 1591 and corresponded with some of the most important humanists of his time.
Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy (Cham: Springer, 2022).
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Benivieni, Girolamo, in Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy, Springer, 2017
Girolamo Benivieni was one of the most famous vernacular poets of his time. He is also known for his Dantean works, for his translations (especially from Latin into vernacular), and for his pious writings. Precocious member of the Florentine platonic Academy and intimate friend of the philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, he became one of the first supporters of the preacher Girolamo Savonarola, to whose legacy he remained loyal throughout his long life.