On the Dignity of Man

work by Manetti

Also known as: “De dignitate et excellentia hominis”

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July 1, 2026

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Giannozzo Manetti's De dignitate et excellentia hominis, completed in 1452, is a significant work within Renaissance humanism. This treatise, titled On the Dignity of Man, championed a revaluation of humanity, contrasting with medieval views. Humanists like Manetti extolled humans as the center of the universe, with earthly life as a realm for applying their powers. This perspective emphasized human potential and earthly preeminence, a key theme alongside the rise of individualism during the Renaissance. Manetti's work, alongside Giovanni Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man, asserted humanity's unique capabilities and the freedom to shape its own future.12

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Italian literature
The age of humanism
…excellentia hominis (completed in 1452; On the Dignity of Man) and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s Oratio de hominis dignitate (written 1486; Oration on the Dignity of Man). The humanist vision evolved during this period condemned many religious opinions of the Middle Ages still widely prevalent: monastic ideals of isolation and…
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…excellentia hominis (completed in 1452; On the Dignity of Man) and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola’s Oratio de hominis dignitate (written 1486; Oration on the Dignity of Man). The humanist vision evolved during this period condemned many religious opinions of the Middle Ages still widely prevalent: monastic ideals of isolation and…
Read More