(1433-1499) Italian philosopher. He created an influential synthesis of Platonism and medieval theology. He assigned to the human soul the central place in the hierarchy of the universe, and he believed that the soul ascended toward God through contemplation. His doctrine of platonic love became one of the most popular concepts of later Renaissance literature.
Ficino founded a Platonic Academy in Florence 1462. He was ordained a priest 1473 and retired 1494. He translated both Plato and Plotinus, the founder of neoplatonism, into Latin. His main work is Theologica Platonica de immortalitate animae/Platonic Theology Concerning the Immortality of the Soul 1482.