Pico’s Theory Of Dignity

Advocating human value and dignity is an important theme of the humanist movement during the Renaissance period. Pico’s ratio de hominis dignitate, based on such a background, systematically and theoretically elaborates the issue of human dignity. This article takes human dignity as the core, Pico’s ratio de hominis dignitate as the main text and follows the development of Western philosophy history for combing and elucidating Pico’s ideological concept of dignity. From Pico’s perspective, human are the most valuable and dignified of all creatures. Human value and dignity is of their own creation rather than God-given. The real foundation of human dignity is the freedom of human will and movement. This article gives a comprehensive exposition of Pico’s ideological concept of dignity by discussing its source, content and basis to improve the research on Pico’s ideological concept of dignity and enrich theoretical studies on human dignity.This article holds that Pico’s ideological concept of dignity is of great value. Pico points out, in terms of human dignity and human development, human dignity is a process of human subjectivity constantly awakening and pursuing freedom. It provides clues for people to understand the relationship between dignity and human development.The significance of Pico’s ideological concept of dignity is that human existence is discovered and human self-awareness is awakened. It becomes an integrant part of modern Western culture and spirit throughout Western civilization.