History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 268 - To Hell and Back - Dante Alighieri
Jan 1, 2017
Italy's greatest poet Dante Alighieri discusses his love for Lady Philosophy, the harmonizing theme of the Circle of the Sun in Paradise, his views on Averaism and the unity of the intellect, and explores free will, Plato's ideas, and political philosophy in his works 'Purgatorio' and 'Paradiso'.
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Adamson's Personal Inspiration from Dante
- Peter Adamson shares how Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy inspired his passion for medieval intellectual culture.
- This early love fueled his interest in both Latin Christendom and Islamic world philosophy.
Dante's Language Choice for Philosophy
- Dante wrote in Italian to spread philosophical knowledge widely beyond Latin-speaking clerics.
- This use of vernacular made philosophy accessible to a broader, less educated audience including women.
Defending Vernacular Philosophy
- Dante justifies writing philosophical commentary in Italian rather than Latin to reach uneducated audiences.
- He compares himself to someone providing crumbs of bread fallen from the table of the wise.