Marsilio Ficino

James G. Snyder (Marist College)

Ed. by Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.1: Italian Writing and Culture, 453-present.
Vol. editors: Carla Bregman (Independent Scholar - North America), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University)

Dates

Born 19 Oct 1433
Died 1 Oct 1499
Activity 1453-1499

Places

Born in Italy
Active in Italy

Activities

Primary

Philosopher
Translator

Resources

Ficino's Works

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Marsilio Ficino was a Florentine philosopher, translator, and commentator. He is widely recognized by historians of philosophy today for his most substantial philosophical treatise, the

Platonic Theology

(1482). This work is an encyclopedic defense of the immortality of the soul, and in it he argues for the inherent dignity of humanity on metaphysical grounds. The book had a direct influence on the content and direction of philosophy in subsequent centuries. Ficino was also largely responsible for the revival of Platonism in the Renaissance. He translated the writings of Plato, Plotinus, and the Hermetic corpus from Greek into Latin. At the time, these texts were largely inaccessible to intellectuals in the West, and Ficino supplemented his translations with extensive commentaries on…

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2874 words

Citation: Snyder, James G. . "Marsilio Ficino". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1517, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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