The writings of classical authors such as Aristotle and Cicero are valuable teachings that contain wisdom beyond anything written in current times (the Italian Renaissance), and the fools who value their own misguided philosophy more than that of the ancients are lost in egotism and ignorance.
1. Petrarch values ancient writings as insightful and truthful, a beacon of wisdom and virtue against medieval non-secular ideologies.
a. The ancients have a truer sense of virtue in their glorification of Man, something needed in modern times to combat the idea of a God that should rule all parts of one’s life
b. Modern culture has sprung up from classical ideals, and so these ideals must be viewed as glorious and superior: “antiquity, its mother, to whom it owes every noble art”
2. The classics must be studied and valued above current and medieval philosophy, because they are what can allow man to accomplish great things.
a. Those who attempt to formulate independent philosophies and ignore ancient writings are simply wrong
i. Studying the past is essential to the present: “O inglorious age!...that dares to declare itself not only equal but superior to the glorious past.”
ii. Rejecting the past is egotistical and arrogant, as one claims that the writings of the past are useless compared to those of the present
b. The tendency to ignore and reject the ancients is a dangerous trend that could ultimately lead to disaster
Petrarch is a strong proponent of classical writing and is staunchly opposed to those who ignore those writings.
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