Topic I. Pico della Mirandola, Martin Luther, and Thomas Hobbes
- Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (Oration on the Dignity of Man)
1a. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola says that human beings were given an opportunity by God to choose their destiny. This freedom arises from the generosity of God. It is because of this freedom that those human beings must ensure that they choose their destiny wisely. Wise choices will ensure that they are not judged harshly considering that they become what they will. To become a brute, human beings should not desire to be powerful rulers or wealthy men because these are temporary aspirations.[1] They should use their freedom to aim for an eternal objective.
1b. God’s generosity to humankind allows human beings to be free. This freedom can be attributed to the high position that human beings enjoy over other creatures. God has given human beings a unique ability to delight and comprehending in his creation and glory. Human freedom to choose what they want to become should be used as an opportunity of appreciating the unsurpassed generosity that God has towards his creation. According to Pico, human beings should only aspire to angels, specifically they should aim at being cherubim angels who have direct access to God and become one with him.
1c. Plato was the ancient philosopher who had the greatest influence on Pico. He used the ideas propounded in Platonism in resurrecting the concept of humanism from ancient Greek philosophers. From Plato’s teachings, Pico believed that there were certain elements of truth shared by different religions. It was by attempting to synthesize religious teachings of Plato that he resurrected the concept of free will and human dignity.[2] He argued that if properly directed free will could make men divine beings.
2. Martin Luther (The Bondage of the Will)
2a. Human beings in the view of Luther could play an active role in their salvation by seeking justification before God. This justification was only possible through faith. It is only faith, Sola Fide that can deliver human beings from their iniquities and become righteous before God.[3] Those who did not have faith will suffer the harsh punishments of hell. Faith could be realized by believing in the power of God even without seeing or experiencing any physical presence of God in daily deliberations. Doubting the power of God would lead human beings to hell
2b. According to Martin Luther, human beings are naturally corrupt. This explains why they cannot be granted free will in the economy of salvation. Despite arguing that Christians were not obligated to work for their salvation, and they could do different things in the society freely through love, Luther believed that God had the power of choosing the saved and the damned. Free will without God’s grace cannot generate anything good. Free will was only applicable to God because of his divine nature. Human beings in the view of Luther could only will evil.[4]
2c. Luther believed that justification by faith and not by works was the only way that man could attain salvation.[5] This was different from Peter Lombard’s arguments, which were based on the essence of virtue in salvation. For Lombard human beings were fit for salvation if they emulated the perfect humility of Christ. According to Thomas Aquinas, salivation can be achieved through faith and works. Human beings must know what they have to believe, desire, and do. Unlike Luther, Aquinas believed that it is not by faith alone but also by an individual’s actions towards others, that determines salvation.[6]
3. Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan)
3a. According to Hobbes, human nature is defined by the desire to acquire more power. Human beings are always competitive, and they will seek to antagonize each other to acquire power. For Hobbes, the main causes of war include glory, competition, and distrust among human beings. The state of war was the natural state of human beings. However, they collaborated to ensure an artificial harmonious living based on an agreement. This is the ideal form of government. The artificial power in the form of a government was aimed at keeping human beings united and protected from foreign enemies.[7]
3b. For Hobbes, the only functional and correct form of government was an absolute monarchy. This belief originated from his understanding that human beings in the state of nature were selfish and without a central form of government, human beings could be in a state of constant warfare. By owing their allegiance to the absolute ruler, human beings could be submissive to the authority of the ruler in exchange for their security and the protection of their property.[8]
3c. The English Civil War of 1642-1649 influenced Hobbes’ perspective of government and human nature. This war culminated with the beheading of King Charles I. The ensuing chaos and anarchy that characterized the civil war could be likened to the basic state of nature that existed before the formation of a government. During this period, the government in England was highly dysfunctional, and it only provided the people with a pessimistic future. An absolute monarchy in the view of Hobbes was the only way to ensure effective regulation of the cruel impulses of human beings.[9]
[1] Dougherty, M. V. Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola. (n.p.: Springer, 2011), 19. Gale Virtual Reference Library, EBSCOhost
[2] Dougherty, 16
[3] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on Original Sin and Justification of the Sinner. (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013), 121
[4] Lopes Pereira, 122
[5] Martin Luther, “An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans and The Bondage of the Will “ Primary Sources, 30
[6] Thomas Aquinas, “Summa Contra Gentiles” Primary Sources, 23
[7] Thomas Hobbes, “Leviathan“ Primary Sources, 32
[8] Hobbes, 32
[9] Hobbes, 32