About Our Approach
Based on the humanistic ideas of classical philosophy and the Italian Renaissance, our work is based on modern scholarship but differs in one significant way:
While modern academics focus on what we can learn about thinkers from the past, our approach is based on what we can learn from the thinkers of the past.
This, in fact, was the approach of the Renaissance humanists: to learn from the past to enhance the present, and to create a better world.
David Fideler
About the Founder
The Renaissance Program is a creation of Dr. David Fideler, author of a forthcoming book on Renaissance ideas and how they can enhance today’s world.
His last book, on the Roman philosopher Seneca, was reviewed by the New York Times, selected as one of the best nonfiction books of the year by the editors at Amazon, and is published in over fifteen languages.
Dr. Fideler holds a PhD in philosophy, has worked as a college professor, as the director of an educational center in the United States, and in book publishing.
Over the course of his career, David has worked to build bridges between the world of learning and contemporary life.
Advisors to the Renaissance Program
Stefano Baldassarri
Dr. Stefano Baldassarri is the director of the International Studies Institute in Florence, a widely respected scholar in Renaissance studies, and the author and translator of many works into both English and Italian pertaining to the Renaissance.
His many published works include the much-loved Images of Quattrocento Florence: Selected Writings in Literature, History, and Art (Yale University Press) and his translation of Manetti’s Biographies (Harvard University Press), which includes Renaissance biographies of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Socrates, and Seneca.
John Sellars
Dr. John Sellars is the author of many books on ancient philosophy, its history, ideas, and major figures. He teaches at Royal Holloway, University of London, and at other universities in the United Kingdom.
In addition to ancient philosophy, Dr. Sellars has a deep interest in Renaissance philosophy, and he is currently completing a book on Renaissance humanism.
Contributors to the Renaissance Program in Florence
Chandi Wyant
Chandi Wyant, MA, is a licensed guide to the museums of Florence and holds a master’s degree in Florentine Renaissance history. She is a contributor to the Renaissance Program in Florence.
Chandi is interested in the intersection between humanist and artistic innovations in fifteenth-century Florence, and she’s passionate about the ideas that brought the Renaissance into being. Originally from California, she lives in Florence.
Shawn Eyer
Shawn Eyer, MA, works with nonprofits, museums, and foundations. He teaches part-time at Harvard University and works in a tech startup based out of the Harvard Innovation Labs. He also has an academic background in religious studies.
Esmé Partridge
Esmé Partridge, MA, studied Renaissance philosophy at Cambridge, focusing on how the thought of Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola influenced later ideas of religious pluralism and tolerance.
Her articles have appeared in numerous periodicals, including The Critic, Times Literary Supplement, and Unherd. She has also moderated and participated in many public conversations in the UK. Esmé is currently a researcher for Parliament in the House of Commons and a fellow of Civic Future.