A Theory of Five Substances in Marsilio Ficino’s Thought?

Authors

  • Teresa Rodriguez Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2018.3.27892

Keywords:

Renaissance, hypostasis, Plotinus, Proclus, Ficino

Abstract

In this paper I explore the so-called theory of the five substances that has characterized the traditional interpretation of Ficino’s ontology since Kristeller published his book The philosophy of Marsilio Ficino. My point of departure is the first chapter of Book I of his Platonic Theology. I seek to demonstrate that it is not clear that the five hypostasis or degrees of reality can be identified with the term "substance" in Ficino’s text. From the comparison of this chapter with certain passages in his Parmenides’ Commentary, I propose that is more appropriate to describe only the first three hypostasis as "substances". Therefore, the traditional interpretation of Ficino's ontology is not accurate.

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Author Biography

Teresa Rodriguez, Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Maestra y Doctora en Filosofía por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Investigadora Asociada C del Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas de la UNAM. Pertenece al Sistema Nacional de Investigadores del CONACYT. Dirigió el proyecto “Historiografía filosófica y olvidos. El caso del Renacimiento” (2015 a 2016) y actualmente dirige el proyecto “La recepción de la filosofía griega en el Renacimiento y la Modernidad: Aristóteles a través de Diógenes Laercio” (2017 a 2018). Ambos con financimiento de la Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico de la UNAM. Ha publicado los artículos “El  modelo biográfico de Diógenes Laercio y la Vita Platonis de Ficino”, Praxis filosófica 43 (2016); "¿Una posible polémica entre platónicos sobre Aristóteles? El fragmento 13 del Comentario a una canción de amor de Pico della Mirandola” Tópicos, Revista de Filosofía 50 (2016); "El platonismo florentino ante el problema de la creación de las almas individuales: una aproximación metodológica” en Revista Latinoamericana de Filosofía, Vol. XLI, N° 1,  Otoño 2015; "¿Basta con desechar la categoría “neoplatonismo” para rehabilitar a los neoplatónicos? en Signos Filosóficos, No. 33. Enero-julio 2015 y “Orfeo y el neoplatonismo en la Florencia renacentista” en Diánoia, Vol LVIII, no. 71, noviembre 2013.

References

Allen, Michael, 1982, “Ficino five substances and the Neoplatonist’s Parmenides”, Journal of the Medieval and Reinassances Studies, vol. 12, n.° 1, pp. 18-45.

Allen, Michael, 2014, "Marsilio Ficino”, en Gersh, Stephen (ed), Interpreting Proclus. From Antiquity to the Renaissance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139014090.022

Anton, Johh, 1977, “ Some Logical Aspects of the Concept of ‘Hypostasis’ in Plotinus”. The Review of Metaphysics, XXXI, 258-71

Ficino, Marsilio, 2001, Platonic Theology, Vol. I. The I Tatti Renaissance Library. London.

d’Hoine, Pieter, 2011, “Aristotle’s Criticism of Non-Substance Forms and its Interpretation by Neoplatonic Commentator”. Phronesis, Volume 56, Issue 3, 262-307. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/156852811X575916

Ficino, M. “In Parmenidem”, en Marsilii Ficini philosophi platonici medici atque theologi omnium praestantissimi, Operum. Tomus secundus. Paris : Guillaume Pelé, 1641.

Kristeller, Paul Oskar, 1953, Il pensiero filosófico de Marsilio Ficino”, G.C. Sansoni Editore, Florencia.

Vitale, Enrico, 2011, “Saggio Introduttivo”, Teologia Platonica, Bompiani, Milano.

Saffrey H. D. y Westernik, L.G., 1968, “Introduction” a Proclus, Theologie Platonicienne. Les Belles Letres, Paris.

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Published

2018-12-31

How to Cite

Rodriguez, T. (2018). A Theory of Five Substances in Marsilio Ficino’s Thought?. Veritas (Porto Alegre), 63(3), 1046–1057. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2018.3.27892

Issue

Vol. 63 No. 3 (2018): Epistemology, Cognition and Logic in Medieval and Contemporary Philosophies

Section

Articles

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