Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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In Reply to: PLEASE POST YOUR SECOND REQUIRED POSTING AS FOLLOWUPS TO THIS POST posted by Tom Bacig on January 13, 1999 at 21:59:54:
"...what man...could wish to spend his life without using his mind, his limbs, his every faculty?"
-Leon Battista Alberti
"On the Family"
Alberti's words capture in their direct simplicity the thoughts of men, peasant and prince alike, in the days of the great European Renaissance. The power of a man was his knowledge; his ability to strive for and ultimately reach lofty goals, set both by society and by himself. For the "Renaissance Man" (stereotypically) was a man of action- a poet, an artist, a patron, a leader, a scientist, a warrior, an athlete, a philosopher, a lover, a dreamer, a liver of life to the highest degree. While the emphasis of importance in these attributes differed amongst the populous, the general idea was that you must excel at anything and everything that you attempted. And you must attempt a great many things.
Take Alberti, for instance. He was always striving to reach Renaissance glory- he was an artist, an architect, a scholar, an advisor, a philosopher- and all of these things he did with well respected sucess and fortitude. He tells us in "On The Family" that, "If one wishes to gain praise and fame, he must abhor idleness and laziness and oppose them as deadly foe. There is nothing that gives rise to dishonor and infamy as much as idleness." Therefore, Alberti places his emphasis on a consistant and strong work ethic. Do not be afraid to try new things, do not be afraid to face new challenges- as long as you work hard and at a constant pace, life will be good...or at least you will be well remembered. I believe that Alberti truely thought that if you had the ambition and if you threw yourself mind, body, and soul into acheiving this ambition, anything was possible. He, himself, was a perfect example of this. And so, to be a Renaissance Man in the eyes of Alberti, you simply must WORK at it.
Castiglione, on the other hand, was more concerned with honing one specific skill. In his book "The Courtier", Castiglione tells us that he "believes that the ture profession of the courtier must be that of arms...although I do not deem it necessary that he have the perfect knowledge of things and other qualities that befit a commander...we shall be satisfied...if he have complete loyalty and an undaunted spirit, and be always seen to have them." This view, as compared to Alberti's view, is much more specific. While Alberti wanted to deal with the complete man, Castiglione instead focuses on the one necessary attribute that is a "must have" for any and all courtiers. He does not expect the man to be perfect in every venue, only brave and courageous where weapons are concerned. Thus, I feel that Castiglione does humanize the Renaissance Man a bit- giving him one thing to focus on, rather than a plethera of vague ideas of perfection. He wants these people to be well rounded and he also wants both sexes to be educated or at least confident in their potential to be well spoken. He sets forth an example of an ideal courtier, but at the same time tells us that he doesn't expect a miracle to take place. We were, and remain today, human. However, we can always make ourselves better.
Now, we come to Niccolo Machiavelli. When I first learned that I had to read a book by this giant of Renaissance power, I was a bit flabbergasted...how was I, a lowly mortal of college age, going to understand anything this man was saying to me? And while I did find "The Prince" a bit wordy at times, Machiavelli's ideas managed to somehow come through. Machiavelli was concerned with one thing only- gaining and maintaining power. You must fight your way into power and then hold it- hold it with all your might and all your mind. Mind- a terribly important part of any Renaissance Man. Be intelligent and flaunt your knowledge to the world; but at the same time, be smart enough to hold back that knowledge to gain more influence for yourself. Gain the confidence of the people, make the citizens dependant upon you, keep your enemies at bay by anticipating conflicts and resolving them quickly. Learn from the past- Machiavelli says that, "...a prudent man must always follow in the footsteps of great men and imitate those who have been outstanding. If his own prowess fails to compare with theirs, at least it has an air of greatness about it." Also, he tells us to take a stand and always seek the truth. So, a Renaissance man must use the gifts given to him- intelligence, strength, logic, leadership- to make of his life what he will. A great life, full to overflowing. So, this is not unlike Alberti's view mentioned before, in that both of these men tell us not to be idle- always be busy, fill your life, strive for success and you will succeed.
The ideas and the realities of the Renaissance Man do not always converge. However, the mind power that coursed through those few years in history is phenomenal even by today's hi-tech standards. To think what could happen if we all strove to reach our potential- the carpenter's union could build cathedrals that encompass you in their warmth and holiness, the stone masons could carve the faces that capture our imaginations, the Tuesday night painting and pottery class could create the next Sistine Chapel ceiling, the weekend astronomy club could map out an unknown galaxy, and a street corner poet could write America's 'Romeo and Juliet'. And maybe, just maybe, the average Joe on the street could come to be revered for his MIND and his PASSION for life, rather than just the salary he earns or the way he parts his hair...what kind of a crazy idea is that?!