Petrach's Life and the Humanities

This week, the article we read was Petrarch and the Origins of the Humanities. In it, the countless sudden and gruesome deaths of Petrarch's loved ones is recounted in relation to how Petrarch's style of writing changed. Petrarch is stated to be a pioneer in the study of Humanities. Petrarch also reflects on how his writing has changed from that of a mature man into that of a young boy, thus making him feel shame to share the letters he wrote, especially knowing he cannot deceive the readers since each letter is dated. Petrarch's main emotions, due to the time period and environment he grew up in, was that he would lose his friends and/or his own life suddenly as well grief for his suddenly taken friends.

I would like to call your attention to the passage where Petrarch's attitude towards death is analyzed:

"What then specifically characterizes Petrarch's attitude toward death? Behind the spectre of death, for Petrarch, lies the abyss of contingency. The grief and feelings of desolation that swept over him when a friend died, and the anxiety that tortured him as he wondered about his own safety and that of friends who were still alive, were intensified, if not actually caused, by his perception that the events of life happen by chance. More than death itself, Petrarch was haunted by change, unexpected, inexplicable change. “For man nothing is calm, nothing is stable, nothing is safe.”"

In this passage, Petrarch's true fear, that is, of sudden change that he cannot control, is revealed. This is significant since humanities is the study of how humans interpret and record the world around them and, inevitably, this changes with time and place. Such factors as technological advances and current events can drastically change humanities. This irony is especially obvious when in light of Petrarch being named a pioneer of humanities. It is also significant that Petrarch was haunted by the change since it affected his writing for the worse, thus, we were never able to take advantage of Petrarch’s full potential.

I agree with the argument that Petrarch's main fear was, ultimately, irreversible change. I would add on, however, a minor specification: Petrarch feared irreversible change that he had no control over. I also agree that Petrarch’s feelings were most likely intensified by the realization that life is a gamble and you never know what is going to happen. I am hesitant to agree, however, with Petrarch’s argument that “For man nothing is calm, nothing is stable, nothing is safe” because any absolute statements present ideas in a very black and white formula and there is a lot of gray issues in the world. I would be less hesitant if he were to state it in a non-absolutist form.