Marsilio Ficino: Love and the Soul

Marsilio Ficino: Love and the Soul – Horizons Course

Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499), the great philosopher of Renaissance Florence, was an Italian scholar, a Catholic priest, an astrologer, and a reviver of Neoplatonism.

Taking guidance from Ficino’s letters, lovingly translated by our Renaissance Department, we explore his views on Love and the soul. Every letter by Marsilio Ficino is imbued with love. He knew that his very essence is love. He also knew that the essence of all humanity is love.  And the Soul and Love have been found to be not far apart: where the one appears, the other is sure to be there also.

What is the Soul? And what is Love? Come and join the hunt! See this and more Horizons courses.

About Ficino  

Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) directed the Platonic Academy in Florence and it was the work of this Academy that gave the Renaissance in the 15th century its impulse and direction. As a child he was selected by Cosimo de Medici for an education in the humanities; he later spent five years translating the works of Plato into Latin. Ficino also bound together an enormous circle of correspondents throughout Europe including the Pope in Rome, John Colet in London, Reuchlin in Germany and Ganay in France. His work features in our Practical Philosophy courses.