Philosophieren in der Renaissance (review)

Professor Blum's new tome provides a lively and intelligent introduction to some of the principal figures and debates of Renaissance philosophy. Opting for a thematic as opposed to a chronological approach, his book considers such weighty issues as the dignity of man, freedom of the individual, man and world, religious freedom, humanism, the study of nature, natural theology, and the place of reason. These topics are considered with reference to the thought of (among others) Valla, Patrizi, Ficino, Bruno, Cusanus, Giovanni Pico de Mirandola, Sabundus, and Campanella. Coverage is also afforded to scholastic thinkers such as Suárez, political theorists like Machiavelli, and canonical figures of modern philosophy such as Leibniz and Berkeley. A pleasing feature of Blum's informed discussion of this complex material is his commitment to producing a much more inclusive portrait of so-called "Renaissance philosophy," whereby the debates of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are not considered in isolation from those of medieval and early modern philosophy, but are seen as either recasting earlier philosophical opinion or else contributing to developments which are more often associated with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy. Blum's sympathetic discussion of an important selection of Renaissance thinkers provides the reader with an instructive yet appealing portrait of the philosophy of the period.

While the content of Philosophieren in der Renaissance includes many of the standard topics one would expect to find in any reputable treatment of the subject, Blum's general approach can be said to contrast with that of several German, French, and English-speaking scholars since he is much more attuned to the importance in any assessment of Renaissance philosophical thought of what today would be referred to as the philosophy of religion. This branch of inquiry, which includes the demonstration of the existence of God as well as complicated discussions of the divine attributes, was notoriously omitted from the otherwise excellent The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy edited by Charles Schmitt,Quentin Skinner, and Jill Kraye (1988). Furthermore, it has received scant coverage in well-known English books such as Renaissance Philosophy by Brian Copenhaver and Charles Schmitt (1992), and has likewise been ignored by many French, German, and Italian scholars. What is noteworthy about Blum's discussion of these issues is that he brings to bear a distinctive theological acumen as well as a sophisticated understanding of the philosophical theology of the Middle Ages. These traits are on display in an impressive ninth chapter, in which he considers the pluralism and function of religion, a chapter that takes us to the heart of the natural theology of Raimundus Sabudus (ca. 1436), the apophatic theology of Cusanus, the universal religion of Ficino, the syncreticism of Pico, the "atheism" of Machiavelli, and the more traditional scholastic theology of Suárez. Considered together, these incommensurate approaches to both revealed and natural theology manifest the depth and vitality of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century deliberations about religion and God, discussions which in turn informed the scope and point of philosophical speculation. Blum is to be congratulated for highlighting an aspect of Renaissance philosophy which has yet to be studied in the detail it deserves.

No doubt in a book as distinctive as this some will find cause to scrutinize the method and approach of the author, and questions will be doubtless raised concerning whether Blum has given over sufficient attention to all the different confections of Renaissance Aristotelianism, the natural philosophy of the Paduans, moral philosophy, and the revival of other traditions of ancient philosophy. Further to this, many non-native readers of German may find his prose a daunting challenge since it carries the very heavy burden of attempting to translate quite complicated and often dense philosophical concepts into tractable and engaging ideas. For the most part, Blum is easy to follow and a pleasure to read, although one's concentration is occasionally taxed by the odd disjointed phrase and labored construction. Still, these are minor quibbles...