Magic and the Dignity of Man: Pico della Mirandola and His Oration in Modern Memory
Brand: Belknap Press
Categories: Books, History, World



Dimensions: 6.1 x 2.3 x 9.4 inches
ISBN-13: 978-0674238268
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674238265
Publisher: Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press
Print length: 704 pages
Publication date: November 19, 2019
subtitle: Hardcover – November 19, 2019
author: Brian P. Copenhaver
review: Editorial Reviews Review “Massive, lively, and learned…He explains how and why historians decided to put this Renaissance philosopher and his ideas not only in a box, but in the wrong one…Copenhaver analyzes the arguments of Pico’s critics with precision and panache…[He] has cut through generations of misguided commentary and shown us how to read this complex, baffling text.” ― Anthony Grafton , New York Review of Books “No one before Copenhaver has written such a careful and thorough review of the scholarship on Pico’s Oration …He is one of the best Pico scholars of our generation, and Magic and the Dignity of Man offers the fruits of his long labors. It puts to rest old myths and offers new interpretations. It is essential reading for anyone working on Pico’s Oration and will be of great interest to readers of the history of philosophy (and its historiography), especially late medieval and Renaissance philosophy.” ― Denis J.-J. Robichaud , Journal of the History of Philosophy “Copenhaver painstakingly reconstructs the story, or rather stories, of how Pico and his Oration were read and misread over the centuries. This is very much a project of love.” ― Eva Del Soldato , Speculum “Brian Copenhaver’s Magic and the Dignity of Man is erudite, original, and eloquent. In it he carries out two major tasks, one of demolition and one of construction, with great skill and flair. The book reinterprets one of the most prominent thinkers of the Italian Renaissance in ways that will be widely discussed. No future interpretation of Pico’s life or work, no future reading of Renaissance philosophy, will be able to avoid engaging with it.” ― Anthony Grafton, Princeton University “This is nothing less than the definitive study of a text long considered central to the understanding the Renaissance and its place in Western culture. Even though the effect of Copenhaver’s reading is to demote the text from that status, this book will certainly be a must-read for anyone, especially historians of philosophy and intellectual historians, interested in the larger significance of the Renaissance.” ― James Hankins, Harvard University “An impressive work of scholarship…Copenhaver does a masterful job of making Pico’s arcana accessible to his readers.” ― Lora Sigler , European Legacy About the Author Brian P. Copenhaver is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and History at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he directed the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, editor of History of Philosophy Quarterly , past president of the Journal of the History of Philosophy , and on the boards of Harvard’s I Tatti Renaissance Library and the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim and Getty foundations and has authored many books, including Hermetica , The Book of Magic , and Magic in Western Culture .