Desideri e riforma delle istituzioni: esempi dal secolo XI

Starting from the example of Gregory VII, who, accused by imperial publicists of being animated only by his personal desire for power, replied that he had always conformed to God’s will, it can be observed that in the institutional sphere the theme of desire was treated with great caution and the terminology relating to it was used very cautiously, due to their strong charge of subjectivity. Beyond and above the desires of individuals, institutions could only function as a mirror of an order of the cosmos that only found its ubi consistam in the divine will. The link between institutional change and individual desire left too wide a margin of ambiguity between proprium commodum and communis utilitas, which was always considered superior to the interests of individuals.