Pontanos Virtues: Aristotelian Moral and Political Thought in the Renaissance

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First secretary to the Aragonese kings of Naples, Giovanni Pontano (1429-1503) was a key figure of the Italian Renaissance. A poet and a philosopher of high repute, Pontanos works offer a reflection on the achievements of fifteenth-century humanism and address major themes of early modern moral and political thought. Taking his defining inspiration from Aristotle, Pontano wrote on topics such as prudence, fortune, magnificence, and the art of pleasant conversation, rewriting Aristotles Ethics in the guise of a new Latin philosophy, inscribed with the patterns of Renaissance culture. This book shows how Pontanos rewriting of Aristotelian ethics affected not only his philosophical views, but also his political life and his place in the humanist movement. Drawing on Pontanos treatises, dialogues, letters, poems and political writings, Matthias Roick presents us with the first comprehensive study of Pontanos moral and political thought, offering novel insights into the workings of Aristotelian virtue ethics in the early modern period.

Reviews

This is a brilliant study of one of the most versatile minds that the humanist culture of Renaissance Italy has produced. Written in a superb style, Roick presents, for the first time, a comprehensive interpretation of Pontano as a political actor, diplomat, and philosopher, whose work can be seen as a creative rewriting of Aristotelian virtue ethics. To understand the world of Pontano, Roick has crossed different fields of inquiry including philosophy, history, literature, poetry, and astrology, and his book is an excellent guide through this neglected but important territory of intellectual history. It is thereby not only the first book on Pontano as a thinker in his own right. It also makes a convincing case for the inclusion of Renaissance humanism in the study of moral and political philosophy in early-modern Europe. -- Lodi Nauta, Professor in the History of Philosophy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
The subject of this interesting and innovative study by Matthias Roick is the moral and political thought of the prolific Neapolitan diplomat and humanist, Giovanni Pontano (1426-1503). It is based on the range of Pontanos various treatises and tracts, as well as on his better known dialogues and poems; and it approaches his thought not only in terms of individual doctrines and theses, but, more comprehensively, in terms of its re-envisioning of Aristotelian moral and political thought in a humanist key. Centered as it is on the complex notion of virtue, Pontanos Aristotelianism emerges not just as an academic or strained Aristotelianism, but rather as a powerful guide to knowledge and to human action in the turbulent world of fifteenth century Italian politics. -- Michael Allen FBA, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, UCLA, USA
As it follows the theme of virtue throughout Giovanni Pontano's philosophical production, Roick's book is an important contribution to current scholarship on Early Modern Aristotelianism, as well as an exemplary work in intellectual history. In Roick's hands, the "great Pontano", his relationship with Aristotle and Medieval scholasticism, his role in the Aragonese Kindgom of Naples and the history of Quattrocento Italy are not merely erudite topics, but parts of a thoughtful reflection on how historical contexts shape philosophical ideas as well as our own way to look at Renaissance culture. -- Matteo Soranzo, Associate Professor of Italian Studies at McGill University, McGill University, Canada

Author Bio

Matthias Roick is Freigeist Fellow for the History of Ethics, University of Gttingen, Germany.