Post by Funky George! on Sept 25, 2008 19:42:45 GMT -5
A particularly important word in the passage by Brocciolini is ‘mutability’, yet I believe it is misapplied to the concept of fortune, which may account for why the Roman Empire fell but does not address its perpetual decay. Meanwhile, the mutability of men is responsible for the constancy of Rome’s depleted state. Ultimately, his attribution of the long-depleted conditions of Rome to the mutability of fortune lacks consideration.
Brocciolini fails to explore what, exactly, kept Rome a ‘prostrate corpse’ for so long.
The medieval period which men of the Renaissance sought to distance themselves from was characterized by the Church’s monopoly on learning and by the public’s general ignorance. The period offers evidence of the mutability of men, and if Brocciolini sought to understand why Rome remained fallen for so long, he would have understood the true issue confronting his eyes as he looked out at ruins.
Throughout the course of history, great cities have been destructed, and Brocciolini is right in that Rome is among the most heralded cities to have fallen. The case of Rome does emphasize how fragile political entities are, but its case is unique in that the aftermath of the fall of Rome saw no recovery for nearly a millennium. Broccilioni fails to contemplate Rome’s what circumstances are responsible for the city’s continued decay.
The Church managed to suppress all the worldly wonders Romans once embraced by enforcing an ascetic lifestyle wherein common man devolved into an illiterate serf. This is not a common phenomenon throughout history that points to the mutability of fortune; the case of Rome is a specific example of a dark period in mankind during which man regressed in his realm of thought. Certainly, the mutability of fortune may have been greatly evidenced by Rome’s fall, but its continued decay was the result of the mutability of the human mind.
Not only were men of the Renaissance seeking to revitalize the essence of the Roman Empire, but they were seeking to distance themselves from the control of the Church that had led them so far astray. Man had been perpetually muted by a society that disallowed politics and secular learning, resulting in the decaying corpse Brocciolini laments. The entire realm of political philosophy had been eliminated by the Augustinian notion that “there is no politics”, and such decrees from the Church led to the suppression of the human mind during the Middle Ages (lecture, 9/18/08)
Brocciolini fails to explore what, exactly, kept Rome a ‘prostrate corpse’ for so long.
The medieval period which men of the Renaissance sought to distance themselves from was characterized by the Church’s monopoly on learning and by the public’s general ignorance. The period offers evidence of the mutability of men, and if Brocciolini sought to understand why Rome remained fallen for so long, he would have understood the true issue confronting his eyes as he looked out at ruins.
Throughout the course of history, great cities have been destructed, and Brocciolini is right in that Rome is among the most heralded cities to have fallen. The case of Rome does emphasize how fragile political entities are, but its case is unique in that the aftermath of the fall of Rome saw no recovery for nearly a millennium. Broccilioni fails to contemplate Rome’s what circumstances are responsible for the city’s continued decay.
The Church managed to suppress all the worldly wonders Romans once embraced by enforcing an ascetic lifestyle wherein common man devolved into an illiterate serf. This is not a common phenomenon throughout history that points to the mutability of fortune; the case of Rome is a specific example of a dark period in mankind during which man regressed in his realm of thought. Certainly, the mutability of fortune may have been greatly evidenced by Rome’s fall, but its continued decay was the result of the mutability of the human mind.
Not only were men of the Renaissance seeking to revitalize the essence of the Roman Empire, but they were seeking to distance themselves from the control of the Church that had led them so far astray. Man had been perpetually muted by a society that disallowed politics and secular learning, resulting in the decaying corpse Brocciolini laments. The entire realm of political philosophy had been eliminated by the Augustinian notion that “there is no politics”, and such decrees from the Church led to the suppression of the human mind during the Middle Ages (lecture, 9/18/08)