Abstract

This introductory survey of Renaissance philosophy gives a clear outline of the major trends of European thought from Petrarch to Montaigne. The author emphasizes the discontinuity between the thought of this period and that of the middle ages. From the beginning, the Renaissance thinkers rightly emphasized not only their return to the classics but their originality as well. Rejecting the rigid systematic demarcations of later scholasticism, Renaissance thinkers syncretistically [[sic]] combined earlier positions in new ways. On two points the Renaissance was radically innovative. First, it elaborated a new notion of man’s place in nature, which emphasized his creative power, his responsibility as citizen, and his right to freedom. Secondly, the Renaissance effected a transformation of man’s understanding of the cosmos, a transformation in which the critical and constructive thought of philosophers played a major role. The author begins her survey by outlining the two main varieties of Renaissance thought: the Platonism of Nicholas of Cusa, Ficino and Pico, and Northern Humanism and its relationships with the Protestant Reformation. This historical survey is followed by a consideration of two specific topics: the interaction between philosophy and science and the varieties of political thought. The book concludes by examining the skepticism of Montaigne with whom the Renaissance confidence in man, progress and learning, badly shaken by the Reformation and its aftermath, is spent. Finally, there are suggestions regarding the patrimony of achievements and problems which Renaissance philosophy bequeathed to modern times. In her exposition, the author achieves a commendable balance between generalization and discussions of specific thinkers and questions. Scholarly debates and minor figures are generally passed over. The literary and artistic aspects of the period are scarcely mentioned.—H. F.