George Amiroutzes: The Philosopher and His Tractates

By John Monfasani

One of the most learned men of his day and called the
philosopher by contemporaries, George Amiroutzes (c. 1400-c. 1469) attended the
Council of Florence (1438-39) as a lay scholar in the Greek delegation. As a
high government official in his native Trebizond, he helped to negotiate the
surrender of this last independent Greek state to Mehmed the Conqueror in 1461.
He eventually entered the Sultan's household as someone with whom Mehmed
enjoyed having intellectual discussions. Despite his contemporary fame, however,
almost no philosophical writings of his survive. The present work offers an
edition of fifteen previously unknown philosophical tractates. Although they are
unpublished drafts in a fragmentary state, the tractaes reveal Amiroutzes to be
an Aristotelian philosopher influenced by Thomas Aquinas and firmly intent upon
refuting Platonism. He also shows himself to be an original thinker in
discussing ethics and metaphysics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9042924608
• ISBN13: 9789042924604
• Release Date: June 2011
• Publisher: Peeters
• Length: 211 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.3" x 9.4"