Renaissance humanists had a very positive view of mankind. They greatly appreciated past human achievements, and had an exceptionally high view of human potential . Read through some of Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man at the link below. Cite a line or two that particular well illustrates Pico's "humanism," i.e., either his appreciation for the past or his optimism about human potential. As an alternative, just cite a line that you particularly like from this work and explain why you like it.http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Mirandola/
Pico della Mirandola makes emphasis on human potential throughout his Oration of the Dignity of Man with comments such as, "Oh wondrous and unsurpassable felicity of man, to whom it is granted to have what he chooses, to be what he wills to be!" and "...according to the interpretation of Dionysius, that he saw them first being purified, then illuminated, and finally made perfect. We, therefore, imitating the life of the Cherubim here on earth, by refraining the impulses of our passions through moral science, by dissipating the darkness of reason by dialectic --- thus washing away, so to speak, the filth of ignorance and vice --- may likewise purify our souls, so that the passions may never run rampant, nor reason, lacking restraint, range beyond its natural limits. Then may we suffuse our purified souls with the light of natural philosophy, bringing it to final perfection by the knowledge of divine things." Mirandola continually speaks of how humans are capable of absolutely anything and by each characteristic we have we can become something else. We are 'chameleons'.
ReplyDeleteHe refers back, at one point, to Pythagoros and how he states that no matter how smart he is, he will not be proud. Mirandola brings up several other lessons throughout history including figures such as Parapatetics, Plato and Aristotle, and Zoroaster.
"Natural philosophy will at best point out the way to theology and even accompany us along the path" A far cry from Comte, where Sociology will be the answer to everything but a very optimistic view that reason and religion can co-exist with faith being the stronger of the two.
ReplyDelete"Let us bathe in moral philosophy as in a living stream" I just really liked this one. It's very poetic. A lovely take on how to live a good life.
"I have placed you at the very center of the world, so that from that vantage point you may with greater ease glance around about you on all that the world contains." Nothing I like more than the feeling of empowerment that comes with this quote. If this isn't holding humans in the highest regard I don't know what is.
I do have to comment on the Masonic vibe I picked up on throughout the paper though. His first reference to God is the "Great Architect" the same name the Masons call him. Also his references to the great Egyptian civilizations where the "All Seeing Eye" and Obelisk symbols come from. Just have to throw some Dan Brown in there. Sorry.
" --- since we have been born into this condition of being what we choose to be --- " When I read this, the first thing that came to my mind was a little saying that I literally carry with my everywhere I go. The saying is 'We each must live with the person we make of ourselves.' I have this saying on a little piece of paper that I keep between on my phone and my phone case. This line particularly hit me close to home. I don't really want to explain why, but lets just say I'm not very proud of my past so I am 'choosing to be' a better person.
ReplyDelete"Let us also inquire of the just Job, who made his covenant with the God of life even before he entered into life, what, above all else, the supreme God desires of those tens of thousands of beings which surround Him. He will answer, without a doubt: peace, just as it is written in the pages of Job: He establishes peace in the high reaches of heaven. And since the middle order interprets the admonitions of the higher to the lower orders, the words of Job the theologian may well be interpreted for us by Empedocles the philosopher. Empedocles teaches us that there is in our souls a dual nature; the one bears us upwards toward the heavenly regions; by the other we are dragged downward toward regions infernal, through friendship and discord, war and peace; so witness those verses in which he laments that, torn by strife and discord, like a madman, in flight from the gods, he is driven into the depths of the sea." I choose this quote because on the back of the same paper I was talking about before I have the verse "Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mid, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you." (2 Corinthians 13:11) I feel that this quote from Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man can some-what relate to my verse. I was very surprised to find two quotes from this that really related to something inside me.