Original scientific paper

Benedikt Kotruljević's Ethical-Humanist Thought

Ljerka Schiffler ; Institut za filozofiju, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Abstract

The authoress investigates the significance and contribution of Benedikt Kotruljević / Benedetto Cotrugli's work on commerce entitled Il Libro dell'arte di mercatura, written in 1458 and published in Venice in 1573. The authoress pays special attention to Kotruljević's philosophical practical-ethical dimension, an issue hitherto not considered by philosophical historiography.
The paper discusses the philosophical orientation of the Dubrovnik humanist, philosophical and theologically educated, as well as some of the issues raised by his work. These issues were dominant in Croatian but also in European humanism as a whole.
The authoress primarily considers the speculative theoretical bases and models that Kotruljević built his image of the perfect merchant's personality, life and work on. These postulates came from Classical Greek ethics, the Hellenistic and Roman heritage, Patristic and Scholastic doctrines, as well as humanist ethical ideals.
The authoress then examines the ideological-thematic and substantive-motivational similarities and differences between Kotruljević's concepts and hose found in the works by some of his contemporaries (L. B. Alberti, A. Pandalfini, M. Palmieri).
The authoress concludes with her evaluation of the exceptional significance of
Benedikt Kotruljević as a classical economy author and a thinker who, among generations of Croatian humanists, writers and poets, scientists, diplomats and statesmen, from Nikola Modruški, Marko Marulić, Ivan Polikarp Severitan / Barbula, to Matija Vlačić Ilirik, Faust Vrančić, Nikola Gučetić and others, contributed to the history of ethical issues and problems; he is also comparable with great personalities of European humanism, e. g. Pico della Mirandola.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

81835

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/81835

Publication date:

2.12.1996.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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