In Defense of Common Sense : Lorenzo Valla's Humanist Critique of Scholastic Philosophy Hardback

by Lodi Nauta

Part of the I Tatti Studies in Italian Renaissance History series

Hardback

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Description

One of the leading humanists of Quattrocento Italy, Lorenzo Valla (ca. 1406â€“1457) has been praised as a brilliant debunker of medieval scholastic philosophy.

In this book Lodi Nauta seeks a more balanced assessment, presenting us with the first comprehensive analysis of the humanistâ€™s attempt at radical reform of Aristotelian scholasticism. This study examines Vallaâ€™s attack on major tenets of Aristotelian metaphysics, showing how Valla employed common sense and linguistic usage as his guides.

It then explicates Vallaâ€™s critique of Aristotelian psychology and natural philosophy and discusses his moral and religious views, including Vallaâ€™s notorious identification of Christian beatitude with Epicurean pleasure and his daring views on the Trinity.

Finally, it takes up Vallaâ€™s humanist dialectic, which seeks to transform logic into a practical tool measured by persuasiveness and effectiveness. Nauta firmly places Vallaâ€™s arguments and ideas within the contexts of ancient and medieval philosophical traditions as well as renewed interest in ancient rhetoric in the Renaissance.

He also demonstrates the relevance of Vallaâ€™s conviction that the philosophical problems of the scholastics are rooted in a misunderstanding of language.

Combining philosophical exegesis and historical scholarship, this book offers a new approach to a major Renaissance thinker.