Florence and the Inspiration of the Future

PROGRAM, Day 3: Thursday, 21 June, 2001

Morning: Ralph Abraham

The Death of Ficino and the Loss of the Spirit

The loss of the spirit after Ficino's death. The Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Council of Trento, and the Inquisition. The birth of modern science: Paracelsus, Descartes, Galileo, and Bellarmino.

Afternoon: Giannozzo Pucci

The Death of Savonarola and the Prophesy of the Renaissance

The negation of the prophetic spirit after Savonarola's death, and the rise of Utopianism. Scientific thought emerges as the only source of Truth. Nature becomes the defendant.


Revised 22 March 2001 by Ralph