Oration on the Dignity of Man

...I have never pursued philosophy for any reason other than love for it, and in my inquiries and meditations, I have never looked for any reward or payment, except the cultivation of my soul and the attainment of the truth, for which I have passionately yearned. This desire was always so strong that, casting aside concern for all private and public affairs, I gave myself over to the peace of contemplation; neither the envy of detractors nor the insults of the enemies of learning have been able, nor will they ever be able, to turn me from this path. It was philosophy that taught me to depend on my own judgment rather than the opinions of others, and always to think not about how to avoid hearing evil, but how to avoid saying or doing it myself.

I am certain, most learned fathers, that just as my proposed dispute will prove pleasing to you—lovers of the liberal arts who have honored it with your presence—it will prove troublesome and burdensome to many others. I know many who have previously condemned my initiative and now criticize it in every possible way.

Many are accustomed to censuring those who act rightly and holy in the name of virtue rather than those who act wrongly and sinfully in the name of vice. Others condemn such disputes and this method of discussing doctrine entirely, arguing that it is done more to display the brilliance of one's mind and learning than to achieve knowledge itself.

Some, while not condemning the practice itself, do not allow it in my case, because at twenty-four years of age I have dared to propose a dispute on the highest mysteries of Christian theology, on the supreme arguments of philosophy, and on unknown sciences, and moreover in a most illustrious city before a vast gathering of the most learned men²⁹ original: "ученейших мужей". Pico is referring to his planned debate in Rome in 1487, where he intended to defend his 900 Theses before the Pope and the college of cardinals..

Still others, while permitting the dispute, do not want all nine hundred theses to be discussed, slanderously asserting that this is not only ambitious and arrogant, but also beyond my strength. I would yield to these objections if the philosophy I now profess moved me to do so. I shall answer according to her counsel, if I am convinced that this dispute is organized for the purpose of discussion and debate.

Let envy—which, as Plato asserts, has no place among the gods³⁰ A reference to Plato’s Phaedrus (247a): "Envy stands outside the divine choir," implying that scholars should be free from petty jealousy.—not create in our minds a desire to criticize. Let us look without prejudice at whether I ought to have come forward with a dispute on so many questions. I will not argue with those who condemn the custom of public dispute—this fault, if it is considered as such, I share not only with you, distinguished scholars, who have very often fulfilled this task with great glory and praise, but with Plato, Aristotle, and the most illustrious philosophers of all ages. They had no surer way to reach an understanding of the truth than through the frequent exercise of disputes. Just as gymnastics strengthens the body, so, undoubtedly, this unique spiritual palaestra From the Greek palaistra, a wrestling school. Pico uses it to describe intellectual debate as a form of "mental wrestling" that builds spiritual strength. makes the powers of the soul firmer and more unshakable. I believe the poets intended to express something similar symbolically with the famous weapons of Pallas Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, often depicted with a spear and shield to show that wisdom must be defended., or the Hebrews who claim that iron is a sign of wisdom—signifying that this is a most honorable kind of contest, necessary for both the discovery and the defense of truth. Not by chance...