earticle

영어

Ideological commitment of Leondardo Bruni (c.1370-1444), a representative figure of 15th-century Florentine humanism, has been increasingly subject to heated controversies. This is first of all due to ambivalence which is found in his works. On one hand, he appears a champion of civic republicanism, proclaiming free and equal participation of citizens in politics as preconditions for good government and denouncing other forms of government, first of all monarchy, as basically identical with tyranny. On the other hand, there are reasons to believe that in reality he had equally favorable notions about other forms of government, insofar as they served the security and welfare of their people. This ambivalence has divided commentators on Bruni's political thoughts. Was Bruni a pioneer of modern republican thinking? Or, was he a freelancer-typed writer who was ready to use his rhetorical skill for the interest of his hirers. While criticizing the anachronical assumptions underlying both of interpretations, this article argues that a key to Bruni's idea of ideal government can be found by putting it in the context of later medieval discourses on ideal rule and considering their features, first of all pragmatism and the sensitivity toward the particularities.