Knowledge of God in the Philosophy of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Abstract

Abstract

The philosophy of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, shaped by the historical context of the Renaissance and an academic environment inclined toward syncretism, leaves an impression of a complex and stratified system to this day. In his philosophical approach to the knowledge of God, Pico relies on various philosophical and theological sources, thereby constructing a distinctive representation of the spiritual journey toward a mystical union with God. The authors explore his philosophical approach to the knowledge of God through three points, or degrees, by which human introspection, philosophical inquiry, and theological reflection lead toward God. After a brief overview of Pico’s thesis with respect to the capacity of knowing God, the authors go on to elaborate on the position of rationality and the capacity to abstract the attributes of God, as well as the nature of contemplation and the mystical union with God, relying on Oration on the Dignity of Man (De hominis dignitate) and On Being and Unity (De ente et uno).