The School of Athens, the Philosophical Artwork that Conveys All Human Knowledge

Abstract

The School of Athens, the fresco by Raphael, is an artwork in which the whole world has seen for five centuries, not only the aesthetic, emotional and spiritual aspect of art, but also the philosophical and intellectual one. In this fresco Raphael painted the human mind. This work is a holistic variation of cultural anthropology and cultural cognitive science. It is a university in which all human knowledge is summoned. Raphael combined paganism and humanism within the Vatican premises. Making this fresco a significant work, reflecting and conveying the core cultural values and universal ideals, offering an excellent opportunity for any viewer to engage in a multicultural cognitive act and process. This paper presents how this multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary work serves as an ideal example for today’s works and philosophy to connect all creative and philosophical disciplines into one, inspiring today’s thought and the new works of creative arts to contain the human knowledge of the ages, uniting the past and future, as a meeting point of history, reason, discovery and human aspirations. It will present how this complex artwork includes knowledge, philosophy, art, morals, customs, etc, acquired by any member of society to understand human cultural cognition.