Grappling with the ancients : Petrarca and the problem of science in On ignorance

Petrarca's On Ignorance, often regarded as exemplifying humanism's manifesto against Medieval learning, deserves further study as an essay on the nature, foundations, and limits of human knowledge, including the natural disciplines. The thoughts constituting the text undoubtedly took shape under the influence of opposing views regarding the knowledge enterprise: Greco-Roman philosophy and science on the one hand, and Christian morals on the other.

To situate Petrarca's views in the development of Medieval and Renaissance theories of science, this article first surveys past literature and considers anew the religious values at the core of the poet's statements. The article also attempts to fill a lacuna in existing studies by examining the question of skepticism in the text. Comparisons with some predecessors in the transmission of skepticism since Antiquity will enable further understanding on Petrarca's epistemological outlook. [Publisher's text]