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Philosophical Readings PHILOSOPHICAL READINGS ONLINE JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY Editor: Marco Sgarbi Volume XI – Issue 2 – 2019 ISSN 2036-4989 Special Issue: The Sophistic Renaissance: Authors, Texts, Interpretations Guest Editor: Teodoro Katinis ARTICLES Enhancing the Research on Sophistry in the Renaissance Teodoro Katinis .................................................................................................................. 58 Peri Theôn: The Renaissance Confronts the Gods Eric MacPhail..................................................................................................................... 63 Marsilio Ficino’s Commentary on Plato’s Gorgias Leo Catana........................................................................................................................... 68 Rhetoric’s Demiurgy: from Synesius of Cyrene to Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola Marco Munarini ................................................................................................................. 76 Observations on the Reception of the Ancient Greek Sophists and the Use of the Term Sophist in the Renaissance Marc van der Poel ............................................................................................................... 86 Atticism and Antagonism: How Remarkable Was It to Study the Sophists in Renaissance Venice? Stefano Gulizia.................................................................................................................... 94 From Wit to Shit: Notes for an “Emotional” Lexicon of Sophistry during the Renaissance Jorge Ledo......................................................................................................................... 103 Hercules, Silenus and the Fly: Lucian’s Rhetorical Paradoxes in Erasmus’ Ethics Elisa Bacchi ...................................................................................................................... 120 philosophicalreadings.org DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.2555151 PHILOSOPHICAL READINGS ONLINE JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY Philosophical Readings, ISSN 2036-4989, features articles, discussions, translations, reviews, and bibliographical information on all philosophical disciplines. Philosophical Readings is devoted to the promotion of competent and definitive contributions to philosophical knowledge. Not associated with any school or group, not the organ of any association or institution, it is interested in persistent and resolute inquiries into root questions, regardless of the writer’s affiliation. The journal welcomes also works that fall into various disciplines: religion, history, literature, law, political science, computer science, economics, and empirical sciences that deal with philosophical problems. Philosophical Readings uses a policy of blind review by at least two consultants to evaluate articles accepted for serious consideration. Philosophical Readings promotes special issues on particular topics of special relevance in the philosophical debates. Philosophical Readings occasionally has opportunities for Guest Editors for special issues of the journal. Anyone who has an idea for a special issue and would like that idea to be considered, should contact the editor. Submissions should be made to the Editor. An abstract of not more than seventy words should accompany the submission. Since Philosophical Readings has adopted a policy of blind review, information identify the author should only appear on a separate page. Most reviews are invited. However, colleagues wishing to write a review should contact the Executive editor. Books to be reviewed, should be sent to the review editor. EDITOR Marco Sgarbi Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eva Del Soldato University of Pennsylvania ASSISTANT EDITOR Valerio Rocco Lozano Universidad Autónoma de Madrid ASSISTANT EDITOR Matteo Cosci Università degli Studi di Padova REVIEW EDITOR Laura Anna Macor Università degli Studi di Firenze EDITORIAL BOARD Alessio Cotugno, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Andrea Sangiacomo, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Raphael Ebgi, Freie Universität Berlin Alberto Vanzo, University of Warwick Paolo Maffezioli, Università di Torino Francesco Verde, Università “La Sapienza” di Roma Eugenio Refini, The Johns Hopkins University Antonio Vernacotola, Università di Padova EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Francesco Berto, University of St Andrews Sandro Mancini, Università di Palermo Gianluca Briguglia, Université de Strasbourg Massimo Marassi, Università Cattolica di Milano Laura Boella, Università Statale di Milano Pier Marrone, Università di Trieste Elio Franzini, Università Statale di Milano Roberto Mordacci, Università San Raffaele di Milano Alessandro Ghisalberti, Università Cattolica di Milano Ugo Perone, Università del Piemonte Orientale Piergiorgio Grassi, Università di Urbino Riccardo Pozzo, Università degli Studi di Verona Seung-Kee Lee, Drew University José Manuel Sevilla Fernández, Universidad de Sevilla Enhancing the Research on Sophistry in the Renaissance Teodoro Katinis Abstract: This contribution introduces the proceedings of The idea of two conferences was shaped on the structure the international conference The Sophistic Renaissance: of my two-year research project that aimed to analyze the Authors, Texts, Interpretations held in Venice on Septem- works of Sperone Speroni degli Alvarotti (Padua 1500– ber 26th, 2016 as part of my Marie Skłodowska-Curie pro- 1588), his re-evaluation of ancient sophistic perspectives and ject Sperone Speroni (1500-1588) and the Rebirth of their legacy in the early modern age. Speroni was one of the Sophistry in the Italian Renaissance at Ca’ Foscari Uni- most important protagonists of the Renaissance debate on versity (2015-2016). This introduction briefly presents the language and logic as well as civil and speculative philoso- status quaestionis and the essays collected herein, dis- phy. Educated as an Aristotelian, he eventually developed a cusses the challenges scholars encounter while exploring distinctive philosophy and was the first to challenge Plato’s the legacy of ancient sophists in early modern culture, and condemnation of sophists. Starting with a focus on Speroni, addresses some promising lines of research for deepening the project proposed an analysis of the 15th-century Latin some aspects of the subject in the future. sources, such as Leonardo Bruni and Marsilio Ficino among others, and the exploration of the debate over sophistry in the Keywords: Sophistry, Latin Renaissance, vernacular Italian 16th-century authors, such as Torquato Tasso, Jacopo Renaissance. Mazzoni, and Gabriele Comanini.3 Considering that Latin lit- erature was the first involved in the rebirth of sophistic tradi- tions, I intended to focus the first conference more on Latin 1. Introduction authors and texts and the second conference more on vernacu- lar literatures. That said, I intended to put no strict boundary The collection of essays we publish in this issue of Phi- between the two kinds of literature, which was clearly the losophical Readings presents the results of the work done spirit of Eric MacPhail’s keynote address (Indiana University by scholars gathered for the conference The Sophistic Bloomington), followed by Lodi Nauta (University of Gron- Renaissance: Authors, Texts, Interpretations, which I or- ingen) – who preferred not to publish his contribution – Leo ganized in Venice. The meeting was held at Ca’ Foscari Catana (University of Copenhagen), and Marco Munarini University in Venice, in the splendid Aula Baratto on (University of Padua). The keynote speaker for the second part September 26, 2016, with the support of the Department of the conference was Marc van der Poel (Radboud Univer- of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage. I intended to orga- sity), followed by Stefano Gulizia (independent scholar), Jorge nize this conference as the closure event of the first year Ledo (University of Basel), and myself with some Closing of my Marie Skłodowska-Curie project Sperone Speroni Remarks. The conference ended with a Discussion Session in (1500-1588) and the Rebirth of Sophistry in the Italian which the following discussants had the role of kindling the Renaissance at Ca’ Foscari University.1 This was meant debate: Eugene Afonasin (Novosibirsk University), Christo- to be the first of two conferences. I scheduled the second pher Celenza (Johns Hopkins University), Glenn Most (SNS one to be held in 2017, at the end of my research project, Pisa), Carlo Natali (Ca’ Foscari University Venice), and Luigi with the aim of summarizing the most important scholarly Perissinotto (Ca’ Foscari University Venice) – who unfortu- results in the exploration of sophistry in the Latin and nately could not attend the Conference. This collection of es- vernacular Renaissance. I also intended to trace the pos- says also includes the contribution of Elisa Bacchi (University siblities of research development in the field over the next of Pisa - Ghent University). years. This second conference was never realized since The main aim of the Conference was to explore the in- my current appointment at Ghent University brought my fluence and diffusion of ancient sophistic traditions in Marie Skłodowska-Curie project to an early end. early-modern Europe, fostering an interdisciplinary dis- According to my knowledge, there has never been a cussion among scholars and enhancing a new network for conference on such a subject. Indeed, although the soph- future interdisciplinary collaboration. The participants ex- ists have been the subject of important international meet- amined
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