The Formation of Renaissance Platonism and the Idea of Beauty

中世纪的柏拉图主义在12世纪的查理学派中表现得很典型，它对作为宇宙学的物理科学有着浓厚的兴趣。但自14世纪彼特拉克以来，文艺复兴人文主义者对柏拉图主义的复兴是在对西塞罗修辞学和道德哲学问题的兴趣下发展起来的。在15世纪早期，柏拉图主义逐渐变得更加政治化这与希腊学术的复兴有关这与布吕尼和12月布里奥的复兴有关由克里索洛拉斯教育的克里索洛拉斯将柏拉图的《共和论》从希腊语翻译成拉丁语。马西利奥·菲西诺和他的柏拉图学院的兴趣是形而上的。自从盖米斯托斯·普勒顿以来，琐罗亚斯德、俄耳甫斯派和毕达哥拉斯派的教义被称为“普里卡神学”，与柏拉图主义混杂在一起。菲西诺深受赫尔墨斯主义和新柏拉图主义的影响。皮科·德拉·米兰多拉对卡巴拉的尊敬不亚于对柏拉图和亚里士多德。文艺复兴时期的柏拉图主义就这样趋向于融合主义。这种转变始终伴随着审美趣味。事实上，它对文艺复兴时期的文学和美术产生了巨大的影响。文艺复兴时期柏拉图主义者所追求的世界，既不是“上帝之城”，也不是商业社会，而是乌托邦式的“文学共和”。

The medieval Platonism which is seen typically at the school of Chartre in the twelfth century took a strong interest in physical science as cosmology. But the revival of Plationism by Renaissance humanists since Petrarch in the fourteenth century was developed under the interest in problems on Ciceeronian rhetoric and moral philosophy. And gradually more political became the Platonism in the early fifteenth century which was related to the revival of Greek learning as seen in Bruni and Decembrio educated by Chrysoloras who transltaed Plato's "Respublica" from Greek into Latin. The interest of Marsilio Ficino and his Academia Platonica is characterised as metaphysical. Since Gemistos Plethon the teachings of Zoroaster and of Orphism and Pythagroeans which were called "prisca theologia" were mingled with Platonism.Ficino was much under the influence of Hermetism and Neo-platonism. And Pico della Mirandola had as much high regard for Cabala as for Plato and Aristotle.In this way Renaissance Platonism tended toward syncretism. It was Always accompanied with the esthetic interest throughout such transformation. In fact it gave great influence to literature and beaux arts in the Renaissance. The world aimed by Renessance Platonists was neither longer the "City of God" nor yet the commercial society but just an utopian "Respublica litteraria".