Food, lending and borrowing life · Lexicon

From the book

Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume II

Marsilio Ficino · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Orientation

At a Glance

The wordAlimentum, alimonia and nutrimentum refer to food and nourishment in related constructions.
In the Platonic TheologyIf a bodily soul grows by assimilating bodily food, Ficino asks whether that food is alive before ingestion.
In this editionThe edition retains the different stages of nourishment and the purposeful ut una servetur, “so that one may be preserved.”
A place to readLiving and nonliving nourishment produce distinct difficulties for a growing soul-body.

Meaning

Alimentum, alimonia and nutrimentum refer to food and nourishment in related constructions. Mutuare carries the reciprocal imagery of lending and borrowing. Haurire is drawing in; adsciscere recruits or adopts replacements. The goodness of nature is a teleological premise, not a dietary instruction.

Use in the book

If a bodily soul grows by assimilating bodily food, Ficino asks whether that food is alive before ingestion. If not, it cannot first lend life to soul, since it would itself have to borrow life from soul. If already alive, it possesses a soul. Daily nutrition would then draw new souls into us and transform them into the nature of the soul nourished. Many souls would be destroyed to preserve one, which Ficino rejects by appeal to nature’s goodness.

The difficulty becomes sharper if the supposed soul-body continually loses its substance as flesh does. Even the former soul would not be preserved; it would constantly recruit new souls. Ficino then asks how a newly arrived soul agrees with the previous one, opening the problem of continuity in will and memory. The hypotheses concern the corporealist model of soul-nutrition, not an assertion that ordinary eating literally devours immortal human souls. The lending/borrowing reversal exposes circular causal explanation before the identity problem is introduced.

Places to read

VI.13.3Living and nonliving nourishment produce distinct difficulties for a growing soul-body.
VI.13.4, VI.13.5Assimilation would destroy many souls and replace even the soul purportedly preserved.

Translation in this edition

The edition retains the different stages of nourishment and the purposeful ut una servetur, “so that one may be preserved.” The claims depend on Ficino’s account of life and natural goodness; they are not modern nutritional science.

alimentum; alimonia; nutrimentum

alimentum; alimonia; nutrimentum. Printed forms: Alimentum; alimonia; nutrimentum.

Food, nourishment and what feeds the hypothetical soul-body. The distinctions lead from whether food lives to how its nature is assimilated, rather than asserting ordinary eating consumes immortal souls. References: VI.13.3, VI.13.4. See Food, lending and borrowing life.

bonitas naturae

bonitas naturae. Printed forms: bonitas naturae.

The goodness attributed to nature’s ordered activity. It functions as a teleological premise against the proposed destruction of many souls to preserve one. References: VI.13.4. See Food, lending and borrowing life.

consentire

consentire. Printed forms: consentit.

To agree or accord with what came before. The question asks how a newly arrived soul could share the previous soul’s dispositions and knowledge. References: VI.13.5. See Food, lending and borrowing life.

haurire; perdere; servare

haurire; perdere; servare. Printed forms: hauriuntur; perdentur; servetur.

To draw in, destroy and preserve. The hypothesis makes many incoming souls perish to maintain one, which Ficino rejects by natural goodness. References: VI.13.4. See Food, lending and borrowing life.

mutuare vitam

mutuare vitam. Printed forms: vitam ab anima mutuari; vitam animae mutuet.

Lending life to soul and borrowing life from soul. Lifeless food cannot first give the very life it must receive from the soul it is supposed to nourish. References: VI.13.3. See Food, lending and borrowing life.

subterfugere; adsciscere

subterfugere; adsciscere. Printed forms: adsciscere; subterfugiat.

To slip away and recruit or adopt replacements. A continually flowing soul-body would need new souls and lose the original subject it was meant to preserve. References: VI.13.5. See Food, lending and borrowing life.