Pico Della Mirandola Oration On The Dignity Of Man Essay Example

dignity, you may fashion yourself into whatever form you choose” (Paragraph 3). He states that humans should use the free will given to them to strive for perfection and reach higher. The fact that man can choose his own destiny is what makes man standout from the rest of creations of God, according to Pico. In the Oration, Pico justified the importance of the human quest for knowledge.

He states that “[m]an, when he entered life, the Father gave the seeds of every kind and every way of life possible” and “if these seeds are intellectual, he will be an angel and the son of God” (Paragraph 4). He argues that it is man’s responsibility to use this freedom to search for knowledge and enlightenment in order to get higher. It sounds as if he was saying God would be happier to see man reach perfection and would even admire man for being the creature who works on the creation of God the architect, and bring about changes.

Mankind ability to adapt and change the natural environment, made by God and supposedly unchanging, to suit himself makes him magical. Pico’s great admiration for man is shown in great depth when he stated how difficult it is for anyone not to admire man: And if, satisfied with no created thing, he removes himself to the center of his own unity, his spiritual soul, united with God, alone in the darkness of God, who is above all things, he will surpass every created thing. Who could not help but admire this great shape-shifter?

In fact, how could one admire anything else (Paragraph 4)? A philosopher himself, Pico uses the word

“from heaven” to refer to those philosophers who use their reasoning to see things differently. He uses religious sayings like “You are all angles of the Most High” by Asaph the prophet, for his argument that man can become divine. The overall emphasis of this work is on humans and human free will. Pico demonstrates the importance of free will. It is because of free will, according to him, that humans can choose their destiny and in doing so, reach perfection.

He points out that free will is a gift from God to man, the only creation of God to have it, and we should not waste such a wonderful gift. Individuals can and should shape their own destiny, should be able to strive for perfection by looking at the world differently. His idea of changing the natural environment contributed to the scientific revolution at latter period in history. ? Works Cited Perry, Jacob, Chase, and Von Laue. Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society, Comprehensive. Wadsworth. Print.