Grant-funded Project Nr. 416/2005/A-TFP/ETF Final Report
Project title:
Philosophy or theology? Theologia ancilla philosophiae?
Research leader:
Mgr. David Bartoò, 2004
Co-researcher:
Jan Kranat, Ph.D.
Period of project:
2005-2006
Overall grant:
294 000 CZK
Project Results
The reason why to compare Plato’s and Ficino’s interpretation of key theme of the soul and its immortality with the specific regard to the literary form they are creating and using lays in prolonging the discussion of the theme among modern thinkers [Cherniss, Gadamer, Hadot, Reale etc…] and in its extreme importance for the western tradition of philosophical “exoteric” teaching and writing. Our research was focused on Marsilio Ficino’s reinterpretation of Platonism and Christian doctrine in one corpus. This is fully presented both in his excellent translations and even maybe more it is known from his synthesis of doctrines, which is still theme of disputes – Theologia platonica. But the very unique ability of Ficino is to show bravely the main intentions of authors and at the same time to support once own ideas from the point of view of literary form.