Summary of the Oration on Dignity of man

In 1486, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola addressed an
audience of Catholic priests and bishops. In this talk, he agrees with the Church that
human beings are marvelous creatures, with an amazing capacity for intellectual
achievement, and act as intermediaries between heavenly beings and earthly creatures.
However, the Church has not fully explored why man is so miraculous. When God was
creating everything on Earth, God wanted one creature who could appreciate all His work.
However, all the spaces in creation, from the lowest worm to the highest angel were
already created. There was no more room in the chain of being, so God created man
outside of the chain of being. Man is capable of learning from all of the creatures.
Knowledge and learning help man be like the angels, heavenly beings, whereas not using
one’s intellect makes man vegetate as other earthly creatures of flesh. When man uses
philosophy and his intellect, he ascends the chain towards the angels. Thus man through
his own human will can change himself, while the rest of creation only changes when
outside forces act upon it. This raises the dignity of the liberal arts and increases
the need to study.