Essay Questions

How does Mirandola exploit Biblical allusion? What is the implication of the allusion?

Mirandola observes, “Taking man therefore, this creature of indeterminate image, He set him in the middle of the world and thus spoke to him: “We have given you, Oh Adam, no visage proper to yourself, nor nay endowment properly your own, in order that whatever place, whatever form, whatever gifts you may, with premeditation, select, these same you may have and possess through your own judgement and decision.” Biblical allusion confirms that God gave man the ability to be judgement which could be useful in making rational decisions. Man is special, based on the allusion; hence, his worth is greater than that of other non-human beings. Accordingly, man is expected to act rationally to meet the expectations God has for him.

How does ‘spiritual intelligence' aid in distinguishing various types of people?

Mirandola explains, “Finally, it is not freedom from a body, but its spiritual intelligence, which makes the angel. If you see a man dedicated to his stomach, crawling on the ground, you see a plant not a man; or if you see a man bedazzled by the empty forms of the imagination, as by the wiles of Calypso and through their alluring solicitations made a slave to his own senses, you see a brute and not a man.” Inherent intelligence would encourage a human being to act intellectually. Not all human beings possess innate cleverness, though. Some people behave brutishly when they blindly obey their instincts without considering the implications of their physical desires.

Deconstruct ‘the Chaldean theology' concerning man.

Mirandola elucidates, “This is why Evantes the Persian in his exposition of the Chaldean theology, writes that man has no inborn and proper semblance, but many which are extraneous and adventitious: whence the Chaldean saying - “man is a living creature of varied, multiform and ever-changing nature.” Based on the theology, human beings are dynamic in terms of ideologies and behaviors. Hence, they often change their minds depending on divergent circumstances. Accordingly, diversity is expected in the human race since humans are not programmed to be rigid.