born Feb. 24, 1463, Mirandola, duchy of Ferrara
died Nov. 17, 1494, Florence
Italian scholar, philosopher, and humanist.
He settled in Florence in 1484 as a protégé of Marsilio Ficino . In 1486 he posted in Rome a list of 900 theses on logic, mathematics, physics, and other subjects that he proposed to defend against any opponent. His Oration on the Dignity of Man (1486), which accompanied the posting, epitomizes Renaissance humanism . Accused of heresy by the pope, he was later cleared, and he was later reconverted to orthodoxy by Girolamo Savonarola . Pico was the first Christian scholar to use Kabbalistic doctrine (see {{link=Kabbala">Kabbala ) in support of Christian theology. His other works include Heptaplus (a seven-point exposition of the Book of Genesis) and a synoptic treatment of Plato and Aristotle , of which Of Being and Unity is a portion. He died at age 31.