Evermore Shall Be So: Ficino on Plato's Parmenides (2) (Commentaries by Ficino on Plato's Writings)

Featuring philosophical commentary from Marsilio Ficino--a leading scholar of the Italian Renaissance who translated all the works of Plato into Latin--this work is the first English translation of Ficino's commentary of Plato's dialogue between the philosopher Parmenides and the youthful Socrates. In the scene, the older man instructs his student on the use of dialectic to draw the mind away from its preoccupation with the realm of matter and attract it towards contemplation of the soul Annotation. With the publication of Arthur Farndell's "Gardens of Philosophy" (Shepheard-Walwyn 2006), there remained only four of Ficino's commentaries on Plato's dialogues which had not yet been translated into English. Farndell's translation of the commentaries on "The Republic and the Laws" will comprise the third volume under the title "When Philosophers Rule" and the fourth, "All Things Natural", will contain the "Timaeus". As Carol Kaske of Cornell University wrote when reviewing "Gardens of Philosophy" in "Renaissance Quarterly", these translations fill 'A need. Even those Anglophone scholars who know Latin still need a translation in order to read quickly through a large body of material'. The central message of 'Parmenides', that everything depends on the One, resonates with the growing awareness around the world of the inter-relatedness of all things, be it in the biosphere, the intellectual or spiritual realms. Philosophers in ancient Greece appreciated this unity and employed reason and dialectic to draw the mind away from its preoccupation with the material world and attract it towards contemplation of the soul, and ultimately of that Oneness which embraces, but is distinct from, the multifarious forms of creation. Thus Parmenides carefully instructed the young Socrates, and Plato recorded their dialogue in this work which he named after the elderly philosopher. Nearly 2000 years later, Marsilio Ficino made 'Parmenides' available to the West by translating it into Latin, the language of scholars in his time. Ficino added a lengthy commentary to this translation, a commentary which "Evermore Shall Be So" puts into English for the first time, more than 500 years after its original composition. Ficino's crucial influence upon the unfolding of the Renaissance and his presentation of Plato's understanding of the One and the so-called Platonic Ideas or Forms make "Evermore Shall Be So" an important work in the history of thought. Though it will be an essential buy for renaissance scholars and historians, its freshness of thought and wisdom are as relevant today as they ever were to inspire a new generation seeking spiritual and philosophical direction in their lives "Having translated the works of Plato and the major Neo-Platonists from Greek into Latin, Ficino was in a unique position to provide commentaries on Plato's dialogues, explaining the substance of the dialogue in the context of the whole corpus of Platonic thought and Renaissance Florence." "To Ficino, however, philosophy was much more than an intellectual exercise. As a canon of Florence Cathedral, he recognised the spiritual significance of Plato's dialogues, of which Parmenides is perhaps the most profound, dealing as it does with the ultimate reality and how the individual soul may ascend to the presence of the eternal One." "The reader is invited to join the translator in ascending from the plains of everyday living, up through the hills of ever loftier considerations, rising to the majestic peaks of Ideas, transcending being itself, and eventually entering into the presence of the One."--Jacket Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 7 Translator’s Introduction......Page 8 An Overview of Ficino’s Parmenides Commentary......Page 16 Commentary by Marsilio Ficino to Plato’s Parmenides......Page 42 Glossary......Page 266 Name Index......Page 286 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 Translator’s Introduction 8 An Overview of Ficino’s Parmenides Commentary 16 Commentary by Marsilio Ficino to Plato’s Parmenides 42 Glossary 266 Name Index 286 0856832561,9780856832567 Shepheard-Walwyn [translated By] Arthur Farndell. Includes Index. Translated From The Latin.