Humanism In The Works Of Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola

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A most notable philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola distinguishes himself of all other renaissance thinkers and scholars with his famous work that describes the supreme statement of the Renaissance idolization of man. Published after his death “Oration on the Dignity of Man” will later come to be known as the "Manifesto of the Renaissance". He was born in Mirandola in the 15th century, to a noble Italian family that was remarkable in the arts and study of the Italian Renaissance. As a young child he received an education in both Latin and Greek and showed an interest in the arts of philosophy as he went on to study at the University of Ferrara and later at the University of Padua, a major center of Aristotelianism. In 1485 he furthered his studies at the most important centre of Scholastic philosophy and theology, the University of Paris, as he astonished fellow scholars with his precocious learning. He created strong bonds with Lorenzo de Medici and Marsilio Ficino and remained under Lorenzo’s protection as he managed to impress them both with his philosophical ideas. Pico was one of the first to resurrect the humanism of ancient Greek philosophy. During his time there were many changes, events, and many movements that occurred that profoundly affected European society. The defining change of the Renaissance was humanism, a literary movement that began in Italy during the fourteenth century. Humanism was a distinct movement because it broke from the medieval tradition of having pious religious motivation for creating art or works of literature. Giovanni Pico determined himself to gather up all the ideologies concerning ancient and medieval, pagan and Christian, Muslim and Jewish philosophies and creating a project will aim to secure human happiness. Pico’s Oration on the Dignity of Man is considered as a definitive statement of Renaissance ideals because it
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