Thanks to the philosophical works of the humanist Leonardo Bruni, people were able to look at society and the interaction in it from a different perspective. He was a follower of Salutati. The main works of Leonardo Bruni and information about his life are presented in the article.
About the life of a philosopher
According to historical reports, the humanist was born around 1370. The place of his birth is Arezzo. Initially, he showed particular interest in jurisprudence. Leonardo Bruni studied it in Florence and Ravenna.
After talking with Emanuel Chrysolor, he decided to seriously engage in classical antiquity. An important stage in his life is the service as a papal secretary. The year 1415 is significant in the biography of Leonardo Bruni in connection with his participation in the Council of Constance. There he accompanied Pope John the twenty-third himself.
After the deposition of the pope, the philosopher moved to Florence, where he went deep into the affairs of the republic. The result of his work was an important essay for the state by the Historiarum Florentinarum libri XII. It not only demonstrated the basic ideas of Leonardo's philosophy, but also provided him with Florentine citizenship. Subsequently, the humanist was awarded the post of state secretary of the republic and held it until the end of his days.
Worldview Leonardo Bruni
Briefly describe all his thoughts, of course, is impossible. The philosopher’s work is based on the belief that everyone has unlimited creative potential. Based on this statement, he suggested that people throughout their lives should strive for comprehensive development. Belief in the goodness and denial of asceticism also occupied a serious place in the works of the philosopher. These areas can be called the main ideas of Leonardo Bruni.
The difference between Bruni and the philosophers of the Renaissance and representatives of the Middle Ages
The bulk of the philosophers of that time preferred contemplation. Leonardo believed that only an active existence is true. In his opinion, idleness should be alien to sages. But useful communication, capable of raising the level of horizons, was always in price for him.
As for the attitude towards family and children, here the views of Bruni differed from their contemporaries. In those days, society did not pay enough attention to housekeeping, and caring for children was even compared with unfavorable behavior. Leonardo did not share this opinion. He not only positively related to legal marriage and cultural education of children, but also noted the need for these processes for a decent development of society.
Thoughts of a humanist who came to him in view of his long service in the republican government
Leonardo had to hold various posts throughout his life. The longest was his work as a republican chancellor. It was these seventeen years of service that gave rise to the most popular and important thoughts for mankind.
- Patriotic ideas. Most clearly his vision is presented in the work "Praise of Florence."
- Translation activity. At one time, Bruni actively adopted knowledge of the Greek language from Manuel Chrysolor. This knowledge has become very useful both for the development of humanism, and for generating a new scientific direction. So, Leonardo is considered one of the founders of translation activities. It was by his forces that Latin translations of the works of such great philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Plutarch appeared. These translations provided a new perspective on ancient times.
- Civil position. His attitude to the state and society was similar to the opinion of ancient philosophers. Bruni stated that the highest stage of morality is the doctrine of the state and its management. In his opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than a happy person. And if it is so wonderful to make one happy, then why not make the whole group of people happy. But, despite his desire to unite in a single society, he argued that for him only what was going on within his native city was important. Life beyond it, according to him, is of no interest.
- Philological reflection. In this direction, Bruni worked particularly extensively. He even wrote a whole series of thoughts about humanistic education. Within the framework of this work, classes capable of improving and improving a person were prescribed. According to him, everyone needs to have grace and noble directness. Leonardo proposed to study not one specific area, but to combine the knowledge gained from history, philosophy, philology, literature and oratory. It is worth noting that the philological views of the philosopher were extremely extensive and were not at all limited to grammar, as was customary in those days.
The thoughts of Leonardo Bruni always found a lot of followers and like-minded people. His opinion of valor and morality is still valuable among philosophers.
Interaction with other philosophers
With contemporaries, Leonardo was extremely lucky. At different times, he was honored to talk with the elder Medici Cosimo and Pope Eugene the fourth. They not only respected Bruni's work, but also repeatedly turned to him for help. So, he translated the letters of Plato precisely at the request of the Medici. As for the pope, for him Leonardo in writing outlined his view on the absence of contradictions. The pope, in turn, offered the philosopher the position of secretary of the papal curia.
The Malatesta family, very influential in the fifteenth century, occupied an important place in the life of a humanist. The spouse of the head of the family was an extremely educated and versatile woman for those times. After talking with her, Bruni came to write his essay on the need to increase the level of education of noble ladies.
Works
The number of his works is almost impossible to count. Their main share is occupied with works on the state and its structure. He wrote them at different times and the best of them are Historiae Florentini populi, Epistolae familiares, De bello italico adversus Gothos.
In addition to polytechnical works, a proper place in the list of works by Leonardo Bruni is occupied by biographies of such outstanding philosophers as Petrarch and Dante. And his view of the theory of translation was the first work in this direction.
The relevance of his works is confirmed by the fact that their study is still ongoing. The list of his top works includes books entitled "The Debate on Nobility and Nobleness" and "Introduction to the Science of Morality."
