First thinker of the Renaissance called Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) while he lived in the heyday (расцвет) of scholastic philosophy.

Dante didn’t set terrestrial nature in opposition to the divine world, vice versa, indicated that nature itself has divine essence. Thus man is involved in two natures: the terrestrial and heavenly.

Actually as the first

Renaissance philosopher is

Francesco Petrarca (1304- 1374), perhaps better known as a great poet, but nevertheless founded humanistic philosophy in the Renaissance.

(“On my and another’s ignorance” and “My Secret“)

•Human life is given only once and it’s unique;

•A person should not live for God;

•A person can be free;

•A person can achieve happiness, relying only on himself and his capacity;

•Probably afterlife doesn’t exist, and immortality can be achieved only in people’s memories;

•A person mustn’t be brought as a sacrifice to God, and should enjoy life and love;

Renaissance humanism is not protect human rights, but it is studies of man as he is. Feature of humanism is in the attention to antiquity.

Middle Ages for humanists represented as a “kingdom of darkness” that followed the ancient culture.

Into an art form humanists also sought to find something new, refusing from Middle Ages’ “Summas”.

The most significant after the philosopher-humanist Petrarca can be called

Lorenzo Valla (1407- 1457), (“On the pleasure”). He was a philosopher,

reviving (возрождающий)

Epicurean philosophy.

Florentine Platonic

Academy:

1.George Gemistus

Plethon,

2.Marsilio Ficino

3.Pico della Mirandola.