Oration On The Dignity Of Man

Oration On The Dignity Of Man

by Mirandola

Overview

• Pico’s call to action is that mankind must continue to try being as close to divine through their quest for wisdom. Seeking wisdom will place our minds and ourselves in God. To be ourselves is being himself who made us.

"Ye are all gods, and sons of the most high, unless by abusing the very indulgent liberality of the Father, we make the free choice, which he gave to us, harmful to ourselves instead of a helpful toward salvation. Let a holy ambition invade the mind, so that we may not be content with mean things but may aspire to the highest things and strive with all our forces to attain them: for if we will to, we can." (P7)

• God created the world and then created us to appreciate the world. So as mention by both Moses and Plato man was created to appreciate the rest of creation.

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God gave us the gift of freedom, but it is also the most prominent reason as to why it is so difficult for humans to be one with God and stay on the path to salvation. But we are the only creature that has this capability; the ability to choose right from wrong and create our future. Which is what makes man so great.

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• He makes a reference to the Chaldean theology, which states that, man is not born in his own image but is many images come from the outside. Man is diverse animal with multiform, and destructible nature. He makes this reference to argue the Christian belief that man is all flesh.

"The seeds that each man cultivates will grow and bear their fruit in him. If he cultivates vegetable seeds he will become a plant. If the seeds of sensation, he will grow into brute. If rational, he will come out a heavenly animal. If intellectual, he will be an angel, and a son of God. And if he not contended with the lot of any creature, but takes himself up into the center of his own unity, then, made one spirit with God and settled in solitary darkness of the Father, who is above all things, he will stand ahead of all things." (P5)

• Pico explains the creation of the world and lastly the Creation of mankind to admire the beauty of Gods creation.

• Man had no form or was indeterminate.

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Man has the power to be whatever so he desires depending on the action’s he takes. His actions can lead him to be a brute, a rational man, an intellectual man, or a man in spirit with God.

• Pico asserts that God did not give mankind a form during creation but instead allowed us to control our own destiny. Mankind was created with no boundaries, no limitations, and able to make ones own judgment. One could become good or bad and wise. We are the molders of ourselves.

• Pays his respects to the venerable wise men and makes a reference to the Novel The Saracen.

• He is not satisfied with the assertions of other men on human nature, and that humans are nothing more but messengers of higher intelligence.

Main points

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• Pico asks for attention so he can make his claim on why men are so wonderful and worthy of the highest wonders.

Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola

• young humanist philosopher

• reason for the creation of man
• how man differs from other creatures as man is a creation with a unique and important trait, free will.
• All cultures perceive man to be the most wondrous of all created beings.

• Author of Oration on the Dignity of Man

(1463-1494)

• His philosophy was greatly influenced by the ancient Greeks and Romans, from Arabic philosophy, and Jewish mysticism.