Plato enlightening the Renaissance

It is only fitting to start our philosophical inquiries at the cornerstone of much Western thought: the Grecian thinker- Plato.  His allegories of the cave and the sun as well as his explications of the world of forms.  What connections can we then make to the Renaissance from these items?  In attempts of locating the secularism, humanism, individualism, and education represented here in Plato's works, let us attempt to see the texts as the original Renaissance thinkers, not in our own context, or even in the original Grecian ideal, but rather from the view point of those near the time of 1350-1600 CE and especially to see how they employed them in their society.  Plato's allegory of the Cave is designed to show his understanding of the theoretical world.  This world is but a lowly shadow of the truth, in that anything we see is not the actual portrayal of reality.  Reality is at a higher level of theoretical being and we had once been in that world but we've been stuck in this cave of reality for so long that our eyes have adjusted only to seeing the dimness and falsity of this life.  Things we think are real humans, real beauty, real justice are but shadows cast on the cave wall of our world and poor comparisons to their actual portrayals in the world of forms.  We must be slowly brought into the light and slowly turn our eyes from the flawed cave to the real world and the light which is the source of all goodness and the light by which all shadows are cast (the sun).  This is a fantastic representation of many of the Renaissance concepts, perhaps even those put forth by Pico!  That kind of humanism and seeing the capability of humanity to actually free themselves from those chains and slowly turn their gaze to the sun and out of the cave is a huge and high conception of humanity (much higher than what I might purport).  It is only through actions of education in virtues that humanity can achieve a freedom from this world of the cave toward the Good of the Sun in Plato's conception, which is perhaps where the Renaissance thinkers would depart from Plato and the Neoplatonist Pico.  Renaissance-rs probably would employ higher levels of secularism, validating the virtues to live a better life here instead of some higher/heavenesque approach.  There is a sort of implication that Plato argues the source of all good is not of this world but that other source is something towards which we should all be inclined.  The myth of the sun speaks intently on the source of light by which the truth casts the shadows from the world of form.  This truth casting item makes it possible for us to see the full the truth is the sun and by that same thought process, we must fix our hearts and illuminate our actions with the full intent on the Truth and the Good.  Without aiming in this direction, we shall never actualize our ambitions  in escaping the cave to the world of forms.  This is the ambition that Plato urges us towards, embodied heavily in Renaissance ideals if not for different ends, that virtue makes us pure enough to achieve right education and thoughts.  Here is a bit that confuses me though.  Plato argues somehow that we were once a part of the world of forms, essentially that human souls have existed/will exist always and the our presence in the world of forms gives us inclinations of the concepts of perfect equality, goodness, etc.  Doesn't this seem like an odd escape from Christian speculation on the soul?  Also does the contemplation on the human soul take place much for Renaissance thinkers or is the phenomenon isolated as something peculiar to Plato?  It seems like any time after this life or before this life is something that Renaissance thinkers would avoid.  Even on top of this, there seems to be the implication that perhaps humanity is getting close to achieving the full world of forms aside while still being on the earth.  I am not certain if I am just over-Christianizing Plato's terminology or not but it seems less like the secularism level is the departure point for most Renaissance thinkers from Plato.

The Renaissance Manifesto

Pico discuses, near the end of our excerpt, matters of humanity's likeness to the rest of God's higher creation in angels, and his throne of judgement.  He equates these three things to the just and ultimate culmination of all humanity: the seraphim, the throne of YHWH, and the (specifically) the cherubim.  He calls humanity to a sort of "Cherubic Life" to ultimately fulfill all that it is to be a Cherubim.  In the same way that Saint Paul witnessed the Cherubim being purified, enlightened and finally perfected upon his entrance to the third level of heaven, so we too as Humanity must embrace this call.  Purify your passions, educate ourselves in the perfect manifestation of philosophy in theology and then perhaps we shall finally reach unity in the arms of God at the top of Jacob's ladder.  Such a potent impetus on humanity places much supposition of its capabilities in general.  Truly, Pico (de gallo which, if you have not yet gathered, is not his real name but my Latino attempts at a joke) is the product of his historical and societal context.  This exudes and oozes Renaissance thought in ways heretofore unaware to me.  The assumption, as my house-mate Cedric so rightly asserted, is that humanity has the capability of attaining a deified state HERE IN THIS LIFE!  That is a massive expression of secularism.  (I am trying to read this through a somewhat objective lens.  My views of humanity in this sense are much lower than Pico's)  We also see the great appreciation for general education and even a stemming back to ancient philosophers and ancient fathers, perhaps a reclaiming of the philosophers of Greece, the Hebrews, and even some cultures I am unaware.  There's even a mention (ha that's litote if there ever was one, eh Dr. Hobbs?) of individualism and the huge necessity for virtuous and versatile living in the process of ascension to the top rung of the ladder of Jacob.  Pico is such a Renaissance man, he may have even drafted the Renaissance manifesto! (wonder if the conservatives of america would have such a problem with that as they do with the (/my) communist manifesto!  They probably would in consideration of all the secularism and humanism explicated herein.  As an interesting side note, does anyone else notice the similarities of the Renaissance and the nineteenth century?  It seems like the Renaissance is directly reflected in the peoples of Europe just before WW I.  I wonder if there came some massive war to interrupt this flow of optimism and secularism for the Renaissance peoples in the same way that the Great War blew apart the nineteenth century joy.

An anticipation of scholasticism

Let's get down to business, to defeat the Hunns...er course?  I don't really want to defeat it.  I just want to enjoy it.  Sorry, Mulan, you're song's no good here.  What can I expect from a course that I have little more than rumors and whispers of information about?  We have been called to form some prophetic claims here, some pretty heavy stuff if you will, to declare what we see coming from this course and what we shall contribute to it.  Then whoever looks back on it at the end of the course and was closest wins a free imperial laurel...or something like that.  So here's going for the gold!  What to expect from a class called "The FACEbook of the Renaissance: Who Would You Friend?" is quite the conundrum.  It's much like trying to select a favorite book just by its title.  Today, perhaps more so than ever, books are tailored to be attractive to the eye and less descriptive as to its actual contents.  Perhaps the results of a Laissez Faire world.  Regardless of my musings, I project that this class shall encompass thematic flow in Renaissance art, establishing general trends to explain ideology behind approaches to painting, sculpture, music, architecture, what have you.  On this level I hold strong hopes that the course shows me a lot more of the influences that the Renaissance has on my daily life, aside from the fact of my Scholastic endeavors' inclination towards liberal arts.  I want very much to see what the church's influence was on the Renaissance and to what purposes and ambitions things were aimed artistically.  Why does the church need such elaborate structures, paintings, and art in general?  Was this a growing trend or something that was renovated and established during the origin of the Renaissance.  What even got that thing going in the first place?  I don't know what kind of catalyst established something as influential or far reaching as the Renaissance but I'd love to get to know (hint hint Earl and Cathy).  I imagine herein lies the intellectual stuffs that occupy my mind. PHILOSOPHY (insert ominous chorus lines and glorious thunder) with a mixture of THEOLOGY (reinsertion of aforementioned articles) had heavy hands in shaping the Italian Renaissance and I want to delve SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO deep into it.  Sadly I have merely five weeks and have no foreknowledge on the matter, but I trust our handy philosopher will remedy such maladies forthwith.  The matters of the Renaissance will certainly be made clear to me post haste, I am certain, through the venue of ROME!  We depart in three days!  AH!  I am most excited about seeing the Coluseum and the Sistine Chapel.  Who knows what else is there (I've been so busy with planning trips to Pompeii and Capri!  HA) but I'm sure I'll find it.  Well it's off to some pizza with friends.  Perhaps I'll catch a bit of the renaissance out there!

A Delerious Account of a Jet Lagged Traveler

I can't really say what I was expecting because but the feel around here is honestly different than what I once anticipated.  The vegitation was not nearly as lush in Rome as it was in Germany or England, perhaps a symptom of the Mediteranean setting.  Regardless of the reason, somewhere between my jet-lagged delerium and three hours on a hot, cramp "electronic air conditioned" bus, I grew to appreciate the Italian surroundings in a way that was unattainable heretofore.  It really looks like an island sort of climate in Rome.  The trees reminded me somewhat of my time in the Carribean and, though I did not get enough of a view of the country side to pass judgment, it was nothing like what I saw coming.  Along the drive something occured to me and my company, Samantha Redman, on the ride.  There was such sparse advertisement!  I don't know if Dr. Blevins was right in stating that Europe in general has succumbed less to the beast of Capitalism but it was admittedly different than America.  We traveled what looked and sounded like a busy, well worn highway on the treck to Perugia and through out the country side, prime real estate for advertisement was totally ignored, almost as if there was a greater appreciation for natural beauty of the land than the interest in gaining a quick buck through advertising prowess!  Regardless of the justification, it was a refreshing reminder to an abesnt mind that I was indeed hundreds of miles away in a foriegn locale. 

On top of all that, there was the unexpected realization of the main-city settlments around here are mostly on hill tops, or at least the older-looking areas.  I assume this is associated with the Medieval trend to post civilizations on hill-top to ensure the best kind of protection.  It was admittedly quite a rollercoaster of emotion, seeing a hilltop city and thinking, "Oh finally!  Perugia, now perhaps we weary travelers may take solace from our arduous sojourn" But alas, time and again it was but another city we were fated to pass by.  Once we finally stumbled off our vessel and into our hotel, the excitement did its best to burrow through the layers of exhaustion but had little avail.  After a quick drop off of travel-gear in our rooms, off we went to appease our appetites, as we stumbled through a local grocery store to purchase strawberries and banana (one of my favorites) to follow our gelato kicks!  While many went back to their rooms to sleep or venture round, I refused to sleep until I could no longer walk.  I dragged Cedric along and was able to explore all the city I could find, which looking at a map now seems paltry in view of the grandiose expanse of the rest of Perugia.  The four churches I was able to find were only noticeable from their steeples peeking across the sky line.  Of the four, it seemed only one was still in operation and though my Latin is rusty (and my Italian is worse than that) I gathered that this small but holy site was consecrated to one of my favorite saints, Francis of Assissi.  What beauty this chapel had!  I was most amused to witness the use of battery operated candles in lieu of the traditional flame operated ones.  The ancient structure matched its surroundings very well and I could sense my mother's invigoration coursing through my veins as I rushed through the winding narrow corridors of buildings, plasted against the already plastered walls to avoid the noisy automatrons that whirred by.  What an experience!  The angles, the colors, the smells!  I've been here before, I've photographed before, I've remembered this before, but few items serve me as well as the present!  It was quite the site to behold.  It strikes me as sppllendid to think that people have lived and navigated those streets in the same fashion for centuries before me. 

On the account of churches, I was expecting something of the sort, with the decline of Christianity in Europe on the whole, but I am hoping to locate some devout Catholicism for intra-faith dialogue and to appreciate Catholic practice.  I was most impressed with my navigational skills in the delirious state, but I did successfully make it back to the appartment with time to spare!  After a quick nap (in which time did not seem to elapse at all!) and a room mate tripped the fuse to fry his adapter, it was off to a late dinner.  The courses were huge and lavished but I can only hope to experience more Italian cuisine like it!  Pasta and Bread started us off, then salad, lime-chicken (a HUUUUUUGE serving) lemon potatoes and we summed it all up with some of the richest and most delicious mouse to ever grace these lips!  What an experience!  Then after a short walk again in the city I hopped innto bed and into the next day of Italian experience!  May the Almighty and Everliving Father bless you and us as the journey continues.  In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.  Ciao Bella!

Day one…two…what now?

Walt sat to my left, sporting his fine, curly, white ponytail barely protruding from beneath an ever-sprawling expanse of baldness.  His white Hawaiian shirt speckled with red flowers evinced his no-care f-you (edited out at my mother's intelligent behest) vacation attitude just as well as the light scent of fecal remnants that he emanated.  I sighed in recognition of the already bad impression I made in boarding the plane and demanding he relinquish his seat in a fit of confusion and will-to-power-of the aisle seat.  In the same way that I squeezed and nudged my way into the cramped plane seat, I was able to finagle my way into his heart.  The Italian native was on his grumpy, weed-toting, and cantankerous way back to his country of origin to celebrate his nephew’s wedding.  Walt mocked my touristic appearance and musings.  As he whipped out his week-old iPad touch, he regaled like the bards of the past his great and epic history.  He departed Italy with his brother under his father’s wing at age 7, but his sister remained behind to tend her family.  His experiences were all too unkind, facing the rivalries and bullying of the masses at his inability to voice their tongue.  I couldn’t help but reflect his sentiments.  What could I, a lowly English, Hebrew, and Latin student do in five and a half short weeks to alleviate the social stigmas inevitably accompanying an alien in a foreign place?  Walt, the grump that he was, gave me hope.  I couldn’t even sense an accent after hours of discussion.  This one, smelly, visually displeasing man proved to be my shining beacon of encouragement.  This is for you Walt!  I’ll take a whack at this messy thing called Italian with your story close to my heart.  Thanks so much for sharing your muddled stories in between your woefully distasteful bourbon and diet coke and the Mama Mia-Dancing Queen sound tracks blaring from your iPad.  Beneath his harsh and crunchy exterior resided a man who had felt the full ravages of American citizenship.  He maintained his Italian heritage proudly into his late teens, when one day he was drafted for the war.  Though he protested allegiances to the old stars and stripes, the general declared him a subject worthy to draft.  After eighteen months of Agent Orange, watching friends die, and killing enemies who seemed undeserving at best, he returned a changed man.  After decades of bouts with flash-backs, post traumatic stress disorder, and three divorces Walt is a man that most would have cringed to spend a nine hour trans-Atlantic flight with, but from that stinky pile of peat, I’ve gleaned a diamond in the rough!  Where ever you are Walt, may your nephew’s wedding be blissful, may you enjoy your relatives’ home made wine, the fresh sprawling Italian Mountain-scape, and may the Lord be with you.  (mayhaps in this blessing I too shall enjoy some of its products!) Amen.

A Given Topic

For this first assignment Cathy (I feel admittedly awkward calling Dr. Adkins that, but perhaps it shall roll smoothly off my tongue by the end of five weeks time) has suggested we "post about your intellectual curiosity, whether or not you think you are a 'Renaissance man or woman,' which Renaissance persons you already know you would 'friend,' etc."  In terms of my curiosity of Italy, I took Latin to fulfill my foreign language requirements in High school and as a result have been enthralled with much of the Italian legacy for a good many years (insert a shout out to Mr. Peacock and Magistra Alba).  Capri, Herculaneum and Pompeii are calling my name in such a loud voice that I can barely resist their luxurious accents in beckoning!  In short, the Amalfi Coast is a place I can scarcely resist attending while in Italia.  I would also love to see the leaning tower of Pisa as well as Venice, but neither of those locales take primacy over the Amalfi trip.  By the way, a trip to Rome and Florence is already included so that goes without saying.  God knows I can't visit everywhere in Italy and still have money to eat!  Ha.

That concept of knowing all I can about Italy, is something close to what Alex Petrov, the Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Ohio, argues is close to the concept of a Renaissance man:  "The term Renaissance man suggests a person, either a man or a woman, of many accomplishments. A Renaissance man is neither an expert nor a specialist. He or she knows more than just a little about 'everything' instead of knowing 'everything' about a small part of the entire spectrum of modern knowledge."  In this sense, the liberal arts education is truly establishing me as a Renaissance man, in that I am learning just enough about a great multitude of subjects.  But in the same breath, I "know" a lot more about theology and philosophy than I do about most other topics.  (I say "know" because I am somewhat sceptical as to how certain our knowledge can be).    But am I a Renaissance man?  Petrov argues that it is a futile effort, in that "The term is essentially ironic, for it is universally believed that no one really can be a Renaissance man in the true meaning of the term, since knowledge has become so complex that no human mind is capable of grasping all, or even a large part, of it."  The idea that just because our society has developed technologies or has a better grasp of science is a fool's folly.  Ultimately this depends on your understanding of knowledge in general, how is it attainable, what is knowledge, and finally am I even an appropriate judge of this?  I think our grasp of intellect is tenuous as best (pardon my epistemological aside here) but I cannot adopt a non-functioning, debilitating sort of scepticism.  No I think warranted verifiable belief works well enough for me to establish a definition of knowledge (sorry Socrates!)  So in that sense I think I have dabbled enough in a good many areas to have my wvb definition of knowledge sufficiently fulfilled to meet Renaissance man requirements.  What ranks am I joining then on this list of Renaissance men?  The only individual that comes immediately to mind is Leonardo from Venice (da Vinci) a man known for his grand dabbling in theology, art, and the beginnings of science.  I would certainly friend him, if it weren't for my extreme oppositions to facebook on the whole.  I hope to learn more of the main actors of the Renaissance and broaden my knowledge to better fill their shoes!

An introduction

Greetings all!

I've been graced with inclusion in Gardner-Webb University's summer trip to Italy for a month and a half this summer!  Thanks to the gifts, both spiritual and physical, of all of you, my attendance has been made possible.  I have included you on this list not so much because my blog is going to be of particularly lucid or invigorating reading material, but rather because you mean so much to me.  Because I cary each of you so close to my heart, I want you have the opportunity to be closely involved in my Italian adventures!  My blog is located at thekiggen.blogspot.com and will grant you access to the intricacies of my mind as I encounter this strange new take on the "old world."  Though I promise to do my best to not offend my audience, I will extend my immediate apologies to both you my blogosphere of influence and the locals of the Italy.  Thanks so much for your time and I hope you enjoy!

-Matthew Lawrence Kiggen