De hominis dignitate is a famous philosophical oration by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and is translated "about the dignity of man." While Pico recognizes man's relation to the world around us, Pico emphasizes what is unique about humankind that separates us from our surroundings. Although Pico often references God and angels with adoration, he believes humans have an earthly vocation beyond devotion to God which is to pursue knowledge in many disciplines, especially liberal arts. Pico not only demonstrated his principles in this oration but also 900 theses, which he wrote while he was in his twenties (he urged others not to discredit his work because of his young age). A strong advocate for his discipline, Pico puts down those who philosophize for personal gain rather than for the sake of obtaining pure, universal truth. This image is from Wikipedia and is labeled Public Domain.