"Plethon" Zoom Talk -Dr James Rietveld-Thursday, August 14, 8 pm-Ipso Facto

Join us on Zoom for another Salon lecture on "Plethon" for Ipso Facto by Dr. James Rietveld on Thursday, August 14, 8 pm.

Follow this link to join us:
Pay What You Wish: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1371870865689

While often declared as one of the most original of all Byzantine thinkers, Plethon is also one of the most shrouded in mystery because of his very controversial religious and political views for his times, and still controversial today for so many because he thought so far outside-the-box that his thinking is still considered radical by many.

While officially in belief Plethon was Greek Orthodox, he merged his mystical faith with Greek philosophy (especially Plato and the Neoplatonists), Jewish cabbalistic philosophy, Zoroastrianism, the Chaldean Oracles (in the latter case dedicating himself to the veneration of the gods Zeus, Hera, and Hekate).

But, it must be declared that although Plethon lived the majority of his life during the twilight years of the Byzantine Empire, in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, he is one of the most important figures and one of the most inspirational figures of the Italian Renaissance, the humanistic movement that was to transform the Latin West.

As a friend of Cosimo de’Medici, Plethon became the main inspiration for founding the famous Platonic Academy in Florence, changing the philosophical landscape of Renaissance Italy forever!

In fact, this Academy was officially dedicated to him! Plethon not only had admirers and friends in Italy, but students and even a school inspired by him.

He inspired some of the greatest Renaissance thinkers of the age, including Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola either directly or indirectly through his followers.

His philosophical contributions would go on here into the Latin West, restoring Platonic thought, inspiring the Hermetic revival, forging the Renaissance magic tradition, articulating Humanism, and changing our world forever!

Very rarely is so much inspired by one man, and most have NEVER heard of him!

Come tread upon areas often unexplored by even many scholars.

This lecture will be posted on the Dr. James Rietveld Salon Lecture You Tube channel, where you can also watch previous lectures: dr.jamesrietveldsalonlectu2903
Dr. James Rietveld is a professor at CSU, Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona, CA of History, Anthropology, Religion with a PHD from Claremont School of Religion, is author of two books, and can be seen on History channel's "Crazy Rich Ancients."

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