I just purchased your book The Bookseller of Florence and immediately looked up You Tube to see if there were any interviews of the story behind the writing of the book. Well, needless to say, not only did I find several interviews of you promoting the book, but this channel, too.. This was a most excellent introduction on the history of Plato and his influence through the ages. Your very clear, direct and did an excellent presentation and I look forward to watching more of your content....and then reading your latest book. Cheers!
Where do I get more information on ficino reading plato to the dying cosimo? Thanks for the great historical lesson. It is enriching my knowledge of Plato's pieces.
Thank you. The image of little Marsilio reading to the dying Cosimo is a compelling one. We only have Ficino’s word for this episode, and it was part of his campaign, in later years, to earn the patronage of Cosimo’s grandson Lorenzo the Magnificent. He only wrote about it much later, in the early 1490s - but even so, it seems believable enough. For the best accounts and discussions, see Paul Oskar Kristeller, in Studies in Renaissance Thought and Letters (Rome, 1956), pp. 196 ff; and James Hankins, Plato in the Italian Renaissance (Leiden, 1989), vol. 1, pp. 267-68. Hankins also has a good article on the subject: ‘Cosimo de' Medici and the “Platonic Academy”’, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes (1990), pp. 144-162. I hope this helps!
My understanding is that Scholastic commentators in the West did not, as most popular accounts assume, rely on Arabic translations of Aristotle but on Greek originals which were more reliable. However, Arabic translations and, more importantly, the interpretations that accompanied them enriched the scholastic tradition. See, Wood R. (2009). The influence of Arabic Aristotelianism on scholastic natural philosophy: projectile motion, the place of the universe, and elemental composition, in Pasnau, R. (ed.) *The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy*. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 247-266.
Fantastic work!
Love the on screen annotations!
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it.
I love your ending - Cosimo listening to Plato being read to him as he died - beautiful ❤
Thank you!
Excellent; I always learn something new. Great voice, podcast would be great.
Great stuff!
I'm reading Kristeller's "Renaissance and it's sources" and watching your videos, it's been great. Thanks!
Thanks, Ricardo. Kristeller is the master. Another book of his I'd recommend is "Renaissance Thought and the Arts."
@@rossking3163 there's a video here on TH-cam of Eugenio Garin talking about Erasmus & War. It's amazing to see these legends on film.
I just purchased your book The Bookseller of Florence and immediately looked up You Tube to see if there were any interviews of the story behind the writing of the book. Well, needless to say, not only did I find several interviews of you promoting the book, but this channel, too.. This was a most excellent introduction on the history of Plato and his influence through the ages. Your very clear, direct and did an excellent presentation and I look forward to watching more of your content....and then reading your latest book. Cheers!
Thank you. I hope you enjoy the book!
Brilliant!
Brilliant. Thank you!
Thanks - you're very welcome!
Where do I get more information on ficino reading plato to the dying cosimo?
Thanks for the great historical lesson. It is enriching my knowledge of Plato's pieces.
Thank you. The image of little Marsilio reading to the dying Cosimo is a compelling one. We only have Ficino’s word for this episode, and it was part of his campaign, in later years, to earn the patronage of Cosimo’s grandson Lorenzo the Magnificent. He only wrote about it much later, in the early 1490s - but even so, it seems believable enough. For the best accounts and discussions, see Paul Oskar Kristeller, in Studies in Renaissance Thought and Letters (Rome, 1956), pp. 196 ff; and James Hankins, Plato in the Italian Renaissance (Leiden, 1989), vol. 1, pp. 267-68. Hankins also has a good article on the subject: ‘Cosimo de' Medici and the “Platonic Academy”’, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes (1990), pp. 144-162. I hope this helps!
Epic story! Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great show!
Any idea how Plato's letters came down through the Renaissance?
My understanding is that Scholastic commentators in the West did not, as most popular accounts assume, rely on Arabic translations of Aristotle but on Greek originals which were more reliable. However, Arabic translations and, more importantly, the interpretations that accompanied them enriched the scholastic tradition.
See, Wood R. (2009). The influence of Arabic Aristotelianism on scholastic natural philosophy: projectile motion, the place of the universe, and elemental composition, in Pasnau, R. (ed.) *The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy*. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 247-266.
TOO QUIET.