Linton 1 Alex Linton Mrs.

Fleming European History AP 29 September 2013 Pico della Mirandola: Oration on the Dignity of Man Composed in 1486 by Pico della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man served as a symbolic manifesto of the Italian Renaissance, and the powerful new wave of thinking that accompanied it. The composition of this masterpiece took place in the heart of the Italian Renaissance, lasting from the 14th to the 16th century. The Renaissance marked a rebirth in classical antiquity. Essentially, Pico used this movement and combined it with a series of theses that he intended to present in Rome. Although the debate itself never took place, in 1496 a posthumous compilation titled Oratio de hominis dignitate was published, collecting his work. In the essence of Oration on the Dignity of Man, Mirandola speaks to the unlimited options granted to man by God. He affirms this in an opinion speaking from the position of God, stating Neither a fixed abode nor a form that is yours alone nor any function peculiar to yourself have we given you, Adam, to the end that according to your longing and according to your judgment you may have and possess what abode, what form, and what functions you yourself desire (della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man). This insight that Mirandola shares with readers reflects that of Renaissance thinking at the time. The significance of Mirandolas Oration on the Dignity of Man cannot be overstated, as it purely represents Renaissance ideals and virtues at the time. The classic Renaissance man coincides perfectly with Mirandolas view of humans at the time. Ultimately, Pico della Mirandola stresses several ideals in this compilation. Importantly,

Linton 2 he asserts the difference between the creation of humans and that of other animals under the hand of God. His reasoning behind this is that humans are created with an unlimited environment, without constraints from God. In comparison, all other beings inhabit a life regulated by God. Resultantly, Pico continues and gives prominence to the presence of decisions in a humans life as a result of this unlimited environment they live in. He exemplifies, declaring You shall have the power to degenerate into the lower forms of life, which are brutish. You shall have the power, out of your souls judgment, to be reborn into the higher forms, which are divine (Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man). In this statement, Mirandola presents the choice with which humans are faced, as to whether they will rise to a higher state or to retrogress into lower forms of life synonymous with other creatures. Overall, the proposition layed out by Pico della Mirandola in his composition Oration on the Dignity of Man, is one of exceptional opportunity and potential in all human beings.