The World Soul in the Renaissance

Along with the revival of Platonism, Renaissance Europe saw a surprising proliferation of writings on the world soul, shaping one of the most impressive eras in the history of this perennial theme. The current chapter focuses on key figures such as Marsilio Ficino, Agostino Steuco, Giordano Bruno, Tommaso Campanella, and Justus Lipsius. Presenting their major arguments, it shows the features of their interpretations and eventual interconnections. Starting from fifteenth-century Florence, it examines some important attempts to reconcile the doctrine of the world soul with Christianity. More than 100 years later, these attempts culminated in the work that revived Stoicism with a strong Platonic flavor. A clue to understanding all this evolution is the belief in “ancient theology” (prisca theologia) promoted by Ficino and developed in the stream of Renaissance Platonism.