Marsilio Ficino (1433–99) in Theologia platonica (Platonic Theology), outlines his ontological scheme (see also ):
- “That said, Ficino did, in numerous places, suggest a five-part (instead of a four-part) ontological scheme, which began with God, followed by Angelic Mind, Rational Soul (in which human beings take part), “Quality” (a kind of ontological glue that stands between matter and soul), and finally matter, the level in which we human beings are embodied and from which we must try to liberate ourselves by living a philosophical life.”
- The rational soul is a component of the human being.
- The rational soul is immortal.
The following OntoUML diagram shows the main classes in Ficino’s model:
| Class | Description | Relations |
|---|---|---|
| God | “That said, Ficino did, in numerous places, suggest a five-part (instead of a four-part) ontological scheme, which began with God, followed by Angelic Mind, Rational Soul (in which human beings take part), “Quality” (a kind of ontological glue that stands between matter and soul), and finally matter, the level in which we human beings are embodied and from which we must try to liberate ourselves by living a philosophical life.” | |
| AngelicMind | “…followed by Angelic Mind…” | |
| RationalSoul | “… Rational Soul (in which human beings take part), …” | componentOf HumanBeing |
| Quality | “Quality” (a kind of ontological glue that stands between matter and soul), and finally matter, the level in which we human beings are embodied and from which we must try to liberate ourselves by living a philosophical life.” | mediates RationalSoul |
| Matter | “… that stands between matter and soul …” | |
| HumanBeing | “… Rational Soul (in which human beings take part), … | |
| Immortal | “Similarly, he shared much with Plotinus when it came to psychology, the study of the soul. The immortality of the human soul represented Ficino’s main preoccupation, fearing as he did the potential loss of belief among intellectual elites. He entitled the first chapter of his Platonic Theology accordingly: “Were the soul not immortal, no creature would be more miserable than man.” (Allen and Hankins 2001–06, 1.1, vol. 1, p. 14–15) | characteries RationalSoul |
Sources
- Celenza, Christopher S., “Marsilio Ficino”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.).
First published: 29/9/2022
Philosophy Models 