Two Aristotelians of the Italian Renaissance: Nicoletto Vernia and Agostino Nifo

by Edward P. Mahoney

Overview

This volume deals with the psychological, metaphysical and scientific ideas of two major and influential Aristotelian philosophers of the Italian Renaissance - Nicoletto Vernia (d. 1499) and Agostino Nifo (ca 1470-1538) - whose careers must be seen as inter-related. Both began by holding Averroes to be the true interpreter of Aristotle's thought, but were influenced by the work of humanists, such as Ermolao Barbaro, though to a different degree. Translations of the Greek commentators on Aristotle (Alexander of Aphrodisias, Themistius and Simplicius) provided them with new material and new ways of understanding Aristotle - Nifo even put himself to learning Greek - and led them to abandon Averroes, especially as regards his views on the soul and intellect. Nevertheless, both Vernia and Nifo engaged seriously with the thought of medieval scholars such as Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas and John of Jandun. Both also showed interest in their celebrated contemporary, Marsilio Ficino.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040242148
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/01/2024
Series:	Variorum Collected Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352

Table of Contents

Contents: Philosophy and science in Nicoletto Vernia and Agostino Nifo; Marsilio Ficino’s influence on Nicoletto Vernia, Agostino Nifo and Marcantonio Zimara; Nicoletto Vernia on the soul and immortality; Nicoletto Vernia’s annotations on John of Jandun’s De anima; Plato and Aristotle in the thought of Agostino Nifo (ca. 1470-1538); Agostino Nifo and neoplatonism; Agostino Nifo’s early views on immortality; Agostino Nifo’s De sensu agente; Antonio Trombetta and Agostino Nifo on Averroes and intelligible species: a philosophical debate at the University of Padua; Pier Nicola Castellani and Agostino Nifo on Averroes’ doctrine of the agent intellect; Agostino Nifo and Saint Thomas Aquinas; John of Jandun and Agostino Nifo on human felicity (status); Index.

Editorial Reviews

Mahoney (philosophy, Duke U., Raleigh, N. Carolina) traces the analysis of Aristotle and his followers by the 15th-century Vernia and his younger contemporary, Nifo, in 14 previously published and elegantly composed papers. Vernia's broad interests<-->in the nature of motion, natural philosophy, natural science, the unity of the intellect, our intuition of God<-->are described before we turn to his use of Ficino's translations of Plato and the impact on him of the Greek Commentators. The shifting acceptance of Averroes by both Nifo and Vernia, and the larger debate among their contemporaries and their medieval predecessors (particularly Duns Scotus, Thomas Aquinas, and John of Jandun) over how one understood Aristotle, are central subjects. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

'...significant contributions to Renaissance philosophy... libraries and many individual scholars will find Two Aristotelians of the Italian Renaissance a worthwhile addition to their collections.' Seventeenth-Century News

From the Publisher