The Secret by Petrarch Essay Example for Free

The cloak-and-dagger by Petrarch EssayDuring the Middle Ages, europiu musical composition thinkers began to examine the creative activity of humanist approximation. While this direction of thinking was not new and humanism was pondered by ancient thinkers thousands of years earlier, the thing that made this line of thought so unique in Europe during this time was the strong influence of the Church. Thinkers comparable the Italian Francesco Petrarch and borrowed many philosophical elements from the Church and classical humanism, essay to synthesize the urban center of God with the urban center of the populace. However, because of their rejection of the synthesis between these two worlds, the Church did their best to drift across that such acceptance of humanistic thought had no shopping centre in Church doctrine, and Petrarch was caught between his robust love of faith and his passion for designer.Despite his love of God and his desire to live a vivification rule d by adherence to think, Petrarch must seemingly choose between the two and sacrifice his abandon pass on for his spiritual faith, but he instead chooses to attempt to synthesize them Petrarchs basic teachings in The Secret seek to reflect that a synthesis between faith and reason is possible and twain the City of God and the City of the World knowable, reflecting an emerging line of humanistic thought of his age that increasingly caused tension between the thinkers of the time and the Church. Petrarch was a ren suffered fourteenth-century poet and scholar, and his contributions to European culture could end with these accomplishments. What he contributed to the world of Christian humanism would also go onto inspire generations that followed and lead to the Renaissance. In his Secret Book Petrarch brings up the classical argument that God gave humans the intellectual potential to figure out the world for themselves.Because of their talent to understand the world through philos ophy and reason, Petrarchs beliefs conflicted with the Church doctrine that human intelligence and dexterity is limited by Gods testament. Much like the thinkers Marcus Aurelius of Ancient Rome and St. Augustine, Petrarchs Secret Book sought to explore his faith and his knowledge as it disturbs to the City of God and the City of the World. acquire the spirit of St. Augustine, and with truth as his guide, Petrarch created dialogues that examined his relationship with the worlds of God and man. The book begins with Petrarch introducing the extent of his spiritual and humanist struggles and how they relate to the afterlife Often have I wondered with very much curiosity as to our coming into this world and what will follow our departure (Petrarch). The information that he dismissnot know torments him and he relays his questioning in the form of a dialogue between he and St. Augustine.Petrarch is unhappy and St. Augustine suggests his unhappiness may be caused by his acceptance of t he City of the World and his neglect for the City of God. St. Augustine rec eithers the words of classical philosopher Cicero They could look at nothing with their mind, but judged everything by the sight of their eyes yet a man of any illustriousness of consciousness is known by his detaching his thought from objects of sense, and his meditations from the ordinary track in which others move (Petrarch).Petrarch experienced this detaching as a man of greatness of understanding, and the par wholeel between his time and thought with the ancient philosopher help coming into court that human intelligence and reason continued to evolve. The dilemma comes in trying to figure out whether this knowledge is attained by man himself or given by God, and whether the stuff and nonsense world and the senses are as valuable as the forebode of an afterworld.One of the main problems that Petrarch experiences in his Secret Book is the place of free will inwardly faith. Augustine reminds Petrarch that he chooses free will flat with his faith No man can become or can be unhappy unless he so chooses (Petrarch). Petrarch comes to realize that it his choice for things in the City of the World, including his love for women and material things, and the only thing that makes these bad is that they prevent him from knowing the eternal City of God.To both Augustine and Petrarch, reason did not necessarily need to erode faith in God, but could go a long way in reinforcing it and in essence proving it correct. His equal love for both and his desire to retain them as strong aspects of his life were keys to understanding his position in his writing. In his book, Petrarch sought to synthesize his worldly thoughts and action with those of his faith, and his humanistic views were generally frowned upon by the Church, though they were nothing more than a precursor for the thought that would come to overlook Europe.The basic teachings of Petrarch not only borrow from Christian and humani stic thought from the past, but attempt to show that God granted men the ability to reason and free will to be pursued if they so choose. While man may pursue with passion the many elements of being free, including worldly pleasures outside of faith, they run the risk of alienating themselves from Gods world, which was portrayed by the Church as the only unexpended dictator of human action. By stating humans have free will within the confines of religious faith was an extremely controversial and revolutionary line of thinking for his Petrarchs time, and reflected the growing tension within society.Though the Churchs power was fully realized and would not be relinquished, many deal would use Petrarchs arguments about free will to help liberate them from the often oppressive doctrines of the Church, objet dart still managing to retain the love of God and their religious faith. Prior to Petrarchs work, this concept of synthesizing faith with reason was not only frowned upon by churc h leaders, but almost unheard of in a highly Christianized world.As the lone authority on matters of faith, morality, and will, the Church would continue to fight against any and all lines of thought that remotely challenged the sovereignty of its rule over the citizenry of Europe, but the growing humanism after the dispirited Death made many men like Petrarch question humanitys place and excogitation in the universe.Because of the legacy of the Church and the importance of religious thinking, there was really only one place such thought could begin from, and religious scholasticism was the foundation for all thought that would eventually prohibit it, much like the line of thought espoused by Petrarch. While Petrarch was seen as challenging the authority of the Church, and even the authority of God as the lone dictator of human freedom, he was also stating that the free will humans enjoyed was granted by the very same God.Petrarch was a devout Christians that also contributed gre atly to the process of humanism. His personal dilemmas were centered around his beliefs that the City of the World must be known as much as the City of God, and his love for each was as well as strong to deny one for the other. While too much knowledge of the City of the World could lead people to avoid learning about the City of God, it was also important to understand the world and the people in it as a way of understanding Gods truth. Petrarch was also alive during a strange time of great tension, where the Church was largely corrupt and in turmoil, Europe was emerging from the Dark Ages, and the growing humanism was slowly changing the ideas of all people.Petrarch believed in the goodness and potential of people, and had faith in mans ability to understand the world, which is all he sought to do. The rejection by the Church of the synthesis of the City of the World and that of God is related to its business concern that people will not follow its doctrines, and is nothing mor e than the last gasps of a power organise that could not hold a monopoly over the will and the faith of men and women across Europe.For men like Petrarch, humans can have a relationship with God and learn his truths by using their own reason and intellect. The rejection of the synthesis of the two cities is nothing more than an attempt by the Church to keep laterality over the masses of people. But, with the help and inspiration of men like Petrarch, people would eventually realize the good and power of their own free will and seek to understand the City of God and the City of the World alike.Works CitedPetrarch, Francesco. Petrarchs Secret. Francesco Petrarch Father of Humanism. Trans.William H. Draper. 1911. 7 Mar 2008. http//petrarch.petersadlon.com/secretum.html.