page_title: Renaissance philosophy
section_title: Sources of philosophy
hierarchical_section_title: Renaissance philosophy / Continuities / Sources of philosophy
caption_attribution_description: English: Bust of Aristotle. Marble, Roman copy after a Greek bronze original by Lysippos from 330 BC; the alabaster mantle is a modern addition. বাংলা: এরিস্টটলের আবক্ষ মূর্তি, লিসিপস কর্তৃক ৩৩০ খ্রিস্টপূর্বাব্দে নির্মিত গ্রিক ব্রোঞ্জ ভাষ্কের্যর মার্বেল সংস্করণ। Español: Busto de Aristóteles, que se halla en el Palacio Altemps, Roma. en mármol, copia romana de un original griego de Lisipo ( ca. 330 aC ); el manto de alabastro es una adición moderna. De la colección Ludovisi. Français&#160;: Buste d'Aristote. Marbre, copie romaine d'un original grec en bronze de Lysippse (vers 330 av. J.-C.). Ancienne collection Ludovisi.Deutsch: Büste von Aristoteles. Marmor. Römische Kopie nach dem griechischen Bronze-Original von Lysippos, um 330 vor Chr. Der Alabaster-Mantel ist eine Ergänzung in der Moderne. Italiano: Ritratto di Aristotele, conservato a Palazzo Altaemps, Roma. Marmo, copia romana di un originale greco di Lisippo (330 a.C. ca.); il mantello in alabastro è un'aggiunta moderna. Dalla collezione Ludovisi. Português: Busto de Aristóteles. Mámore, cópia romana de um original grego em bronze por Lísipo cerca 330 AEC; o manto em alabastro é uma adição moderna.
context_page_description: The designation "Renaissance philosophy" is used by scholars of intellectual history to refer to the thought of the period running in Europe roughly between 1355 and 1650. It therefore overlaps both with late medieval philosophy, which in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries was influenced by notable figures such as Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham, and Marsilius of Padua, and early modern philosophy, which conventionally starts with René Descartes and his publication of the Discourse on Method in 1637.
  Philosophers usually divide the period less finely, jumping from medieval to early modern philosophy, on the assumption that no radical shifts in perspective took place in the centuries immediately before Descartes. Intellectual historians, however, take into considerations factors such as sources, approaches, audience, language, and literary genres in addition to ideas.
context_section_description: A similar continuity can be seen in the case of sources. Although Aristotle was never an unquestioned authority (he was more often than not a springboard for discussion, and his opinions were often discussed along those of others, or the teaching of Holy Scripture), medieval lectures in physics consisted of reading Aristotle's Physics, lessons in moral philosophy consisted of examinations of his Nicomachean Ethics (and often his Politics), and metaphysics was approached through his Metaphysics. The assumption that Aristotle's works were foundational to an understanding of philosophy did not wane during the Renaissance, which saw a flourishing of new translations, commentaries, and other interpretations of his works, both in Latin and in the vernacular.
  In terms of method, philosophy was considered during the late Middle Ages as a subject that required robust enquiry on the part of people trained in the subject's technical vocabulary. Philosophical texts and problems were typically approached through university lectures and 'questions'. The latter, similar in some ways to modern debates, examined the pros and cons of particular philosophical positions or interpretations. They were one of the cornerstones of the 'scholastic method', made students who proposed or responded to questions quick on their feet, and required a deep familiarity with all of the known philosophical tradition, which would often be invoked in support of or against specific arguments. This style of philosophy continued to have a strong following in the Renaissance. Pico della Mirandola's Disputations, for instance, depended directly on this tradition, which was not at all limited to university lecture halls.
caption: Bust of Aristotle, Roman copy after a Greek bronze original by Lysippos from 330 BC
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