Humanism and the Renaissance

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Humanism and Renaissance

Humanism brought MAN to the forefront causing a veritable cultural

revolution. Reason and the will to better understand the world

fomented progress in the scientific fields. Intellectuals throughout

Europe came under the influence of humanism which was disseminated

with the invention of the printing press and the guidance of princes.

Finally, humanism had a religious impact as well with the protestant

reformation and bringing religious pluralism to the west.---

Humanism and the Renaissance

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Crises at the the end of the middle ages, i.e. the One Hundred Years

War, the plague, famines and the generalised poverty of the peasantry

had a lasting impact on the men and women of the middle ages. Educated

men, artists and the literate in their inquisitive search for answers

began to find the existing pillars of society, i.e. the church,

universities and feudalism, sorely lacking in credible answers.

Beginning in the XV and XVI centuries, first in Italy and then

throughout Europe, men turned to ancient Greece and Rome for greater

understanding. From this arose a veritable intellectual, artistic,

philosophical and scientific revolution. This man-centred

'Renaissance' attributed great importance to free-thought and marked

the beginning of humanism.

Humanism: a cultural revolution

Intellectuals in the XV and XVI centuries began to turn away from the

church in an effort to find new answers to the different crises of the

XIV century. According to the church, man is guilty of original sin

and must accept his misfortune in order to achieve eternal life. In

reading latin an...

... middle of paper ...

...e the world. In pursuing the novel

idea of a round/spherical world, Christopher Columbus set out on a

westwards journey in search of India/China. He didn't make it to India

but he did find the Antilles in 1492.

New technology, i.e. better boat design and the astrolabe, led to many

more voyages and discoveries. Magellan was able to confirm that the

earth was in fact round/spherical with his voyage around the world

between 1519 and 1522 which further stimulated cartography and new

ways of representing the world.

Of course these discoveries brought Europeans into contact with

hitherto unknown peoples. These peoples became the subject of study

and added new knowledge to the Greek and Arab heritage upon which the

Christian west was founded. These new ideas often met resistance from

the church, sorcery and astrology.

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