George Gemistos Plethon on God: Aristotle vs Plato In this paper I examine George Gemistos Plethon's defense in his De Differentiis of Plato's conception of God as superior to that of Aristotle's. (2) Plethon asserts that the Platonic conception of God is more consistent with Orthodox Christian theology than the Aristotelian conception. This claim is all the more interesting in light of the fact that Plethon is, as it turns out, a pagan. I argue that Plethon takes the position he does because
Zephyr is considered to be the west wind and he symbolizes the month of March and beginning of spring. April is the month for Venus who is considered to be the goddess of the gardens (plants and flowers). Her name in Latin was Flora and in Greek Chloris making the three women essentially one in the same. The Graces are the companions of Venus (the spring) and followers of Mercury. Mercury’s union with Venus produced cupid who inspires all manner of life to follow Venus such that it may reproduce
Plato (428-347 B.C.E.) is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known. Though concerned with specific problems of his own era, Plato's ideas transcend all time. Throughout the ages his works have been translated into many languages and studied by great thinkers of every region of the world. A revival of Platonic thought occurred during the Renaissance. Though Plato's ideas have survived in their original forms, translators and commentators during Renaissance times
Florence was attempting the reconciliation of the Eastern and Western Churches (a last effort to stave off the menace of the Turk) Cosimo de'Medici had been attracted to the figure of Plato. So there came his patronage of Marsilio Ficino and the birth of the Platonic Academy. Ficino became the disciple of Plato, and an advocate of neo-Platonism. Perhaps coincidentally, but as befits a court, the contemplative ideal began once more to gain over the active one. It was transmitted potently to Europe by
Many people in modern day support change and studies have shown that the generation of the millennial’s and after are always looking for change and to make things better. The same opinion was also thought of during the renaissance as well during the 15th century. The Europeans were against change however, they were scared of what change might bring to their world. However, the renaissance era was a strong and powerful move in the eastern world. Many of the Europeans were hesitant about the possibility
the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. After about two years, Michelangelo studied at the sculpture school in the Medici gardens and shortly thereafter was invited into the household of Lorenzo de’ Medici. He became acquainted with such humanists as Marsilio Ficino and the poet Politian, who were frequent visitors. Michelangelo produced at least two sculptures by the time he was 16 years old, the Battle of the Centaurs and the Madonna of the Stairs. This shows that he had achieved a personal style at a very
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was an Italian humanist, philosopher, scholar, Neo-Platonist and writer whose main passion was the reconciliation of philosophy and religion. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was born on the 24th of February 1463 to a wealthy and illustrious family and died on the 17th of November 1494. Being the youngest son of three boys, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was mostly outlived by his elder brothers who took on presumably significant roles; his brother Antonio became an imperial
Leonardo de Vinci was a perfectionist who created art that had every lasting effect that artist still use today. In his painting, he established techniques that created illusions such as the “The Last Supper” and “The Mona Lisa” in which she appears in her natural state. Later, he would advance in an Italian word called Chiaroscuro. A skilled he formed by the contrast of light and dark in his drawings. This technique would also be used in the Mona Lisa to capture all the dimensions. For instance
The first well-known name of the Medici family in Italian Renaissance Age is Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (1421-1463), also known as Cosimo the Elder (il Vecchio). His father, Giovanni di Bicci (1360-1429) started the family business as a great banker. 5 Having watched and learned the business world since very little, Cosimo successfully inherited the family business. Adding on his own talent, Cosimo expanded the Medici banking empire throughout Europe. He launched branches in London, Bruges, Lyon
Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest pieces of fresco work in the Italian Renaissance. Every year millions of people travel to the Vatican to see this impressive work . Not only is the Sistine Chapel an attraction for art lovers, but for Christians the Sistine Chapel is considered one of the holiest chapels in our world today . However, the Sistine Chapel like any other works of art was designed to send a message to its viewers. Like most art commissioned by the Catholic
although it wasn’t always that way. Vasari, one of his contemporaries, simply described the painting as “Venus with the Graces who cover her with flowers, representing Spring” (Gebhart The Primavera can be viewed as a depiction of Neoplatonism as Marsilio Ficino was “the spiritual mentor of Botticelli 's patron at the time the 'Primavera ' was painted”, and they discussed the Neoplatonic conception of the classical Gods in their correspondences (Gombrich 7). To Botticelli’s patron, who is most likely
Lorenzo de Medici is one of the most important figures in the history of Italy. He lived and reigned during the golden age of the Renaissance in Florence in the late fifteenth century. Although not from a royal family or appointed to the throne, he held much political power as the ruler of Florence. Unlike the rulers of his day, he was among the few to directly immerse in the arts by commissioning works with some of the artists that led one of the most important eras in the world: the Italian Renaissance
Although Aristotle suggests that both forms of imagination (sensitive and deliberate) is dependant on sensation (of the flesh), the imagination could very well be seen as the flow of consciousness, derived from the senses. It is also the power or capacity of the soul to execute movements in apprehension towards the Good. This is somewhat different in comparison with Plato who claimed that all faculties of sensation (hearing, feeling, seeing, etc.) in themselves may not cause truth with the, “organ
Many times, throughout history old ideas or past cultural aspects are often used again and are improved to mould current needs. The Renaissance is a prime example of how past ideas were used once again to create a better and a more cultured society. There was once a time in ancient Greece and Rome, where art, architecture, philosophy and writing flourished, but were later suppressed due to a greed of power between countries and male dominance. Right before the Renaissance however, the medieval ages
There was a belief in a world spirit that could be tapped into by magic. Early neoplatonist ideas about magic can be traced to Marsilio Ficino. He developed theories of ways to "attract planetary daemons (to be carefully distinguished from 'demons' evil spirits) by the use of music, particular words similar to incantations, special colors, and perfumes" (Traister 7). Ficino argued this to be different from demonic magic because he intended to attract angelic spirits rather than evil spirits. Ficino's
The Italian Renaissance "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!" Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2 Modern art critics regard renaissance art as graphic narratives of political and social events that occurred in the 14th through 16th century Europe. Scholars believe that the renaissance expressed a cultural revival
After the great advances of what is now ancient Greece and Rome, also known as the “classics”; Europe fell into a period of darkness. Within it, learning was suppressed and knowledge didn’t advance. However, by a turn into the 1400’s, there was a “rebirth” of learning: the Renaissance. The Renaissance was marked by an intense awaking in the visible world and in the knowledge derived from the experiences rather than religion and wise tales. It turned away from the abstract speculations and interest
Plato (circa 428-c. 347 BC) Plato was born to an aristocratic family in Athens. His father, Ariston, was believed to have descended from the early kings of Athens. Perictione, his mother, was distantly related to the 6th- century BC lawmaker Solon. When Plato was a child, his father died, and his mother married Pyrilampes, who was an associate of the statesman Pericles. As a young man Plato had political ambitions, but he became disillusioned by the political leadership in Athens. He eventually became
The first step that reached out to the soil of the Middle East by American scholarship on the ground of understanding the enlightenment, realism, and erudition of the Oriental literature, is generally considered to be a reflection of America’s commercial relations with the Orient. It was the beginning of the Orientalism in American readership and ramified into four major theoretical approaches: Old Orientalism (O.P. Kejriwal).New Orientalism (Edward Said).Orientalism (David Canadine. Subaltern Studies
A great artist, Eugene Delacroix, once said, “What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.” This famous saying, highlights one of the reasons art or even a single painting is so important. Art is more than shapes and colors; art brings about so much more meaning. It expresses life, history, beauty, and morals. It shows beliefs and contributes to the many reasons that make a human