Oration on the Dignity of Man Exercising Mans Free Will PDF

Preview

Summary

Oration on the Dignity of Man Exercising Mans Free Will...

Description

Oration on the Dignity of Man: Exercising Mans Free Will Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola was a son of the noble house of Mirandola, located in Italy. When he was twenty four years old, he published a speech, meant to be recited verbally before a clergy, called On the Dignity of Man. In the first section of his speech, Pico outlines his beliefs that human nature is not static, and instead is fluid, and that human will is perfectly free. He claimed that “human beings are shape shifting creatures,” meaning that at any time, they can choose to act vegetative, bestial, rational, divine, moral, or even equal with God. The main theme in Pico’s speech is that man can exercise his free will in many different ways, and depending on how he chooses to express this free will, the outcomes differ. Pico states in one of the opening paragraphs of his speech “we have given to thee, Adam, no fixed seat, no form of thy very own.” (1) In saying this, I believe that he is creating a platform on which to base the remainder of his speech. He is stating that in his opinion, man is not given any pre-defined mold in which he needs to conform to, instead he is given a blank slate of sorts – one with which he is free to do with as he pleases, act as he pleases, and act in whatever way he desires. A recurring theme throughout Pico’s speech seems to be his opinion that God gave all creatures a unique gift, and that which he gave man is the freedom of will. He argues that human beings have the capability to become “divine in their natures, through proper use of will and reason.” (2) I believe that by stating this, Pico is saying that despite religious belief, class standing, profession, ethnicity, or any other defining feature, once man is born, they have the opportunity to act through will power and reason so that they may become the man they please. Throughout his speech, he continually emphasizes the fact that man is not defined by any factors other than himself, his will power, and his reasoning. Though these things, any man has the power to act in any way they choose, and even referred to men as “chameleons,” again outlining his stance that they may take on any form they choose. Pico outlined that class standing or a family in which you were born into was irrelevant in comparison to who you chose to be. Demonstrating this through his sentence “when we have willed it, we shall be not at all below them” (1). In this, I interpreted this as meaning that despite the class standing that you are told you will be in, or of which you currently belong to, or your profession, no man is of greater or lesser worth than another. And, through will power, this is demonstrated and one man can will himself be equally as worthy as another. In conclusion, the speech written by Pico demonstrates that man can take on many forms. Despite the outlying circumstances, man can will himself equally as worthy as another, and can take on many forms. I believe that this was written to encourage man to act as divinely and with as much dignity as possible, and I think that Pico did an excellent job portraying his views through his speech.

Works Cited 1. Matthews, Roy T., and F. DeWitt Platt. “Chapter 12.” Readings to Accompany Experience Humantities. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014. 1-4. Print. 2. Finkelstein, Honora M. “Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola – Oration on the Dignity of Man.” Writers of the Renaissance....