Renaissance and the Reformation

The term “Renaissance” literally translates to “rebirth” as the Renaissance was a cultural and academic movement emphasizing the rediscovery and application of texts and philosophy from the Greco-Roman and classical eras. The Renaissance lasted approximately three centuries, beginning in the 1400’s and ending roughly in the 1700’s. Although no definite date can be accredited for the beginning or end of the Renaissance, it is believed to have been birthed by a gradual influx of ideas that was ultimately aided by Johannes Guttenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1436. The beginning of the 1400’s is characterized by a resurgence of knowledge based on classical Latin literature, which can be attributed to Francesco Petrarch and the rise of humanist understanding. The new thinking associated with the Renaissance and humanist movement allowed authors such as Thomas More to write Utopia, a unique commentary on the contemporary state of Italy which More contrasted to an idealized island, and made it acceptable for Lorenzo Valla the discuss the topic of free will. The combination of the newfound humanist thinking, along with social commentaries, allowed for religious figures such as Martin Luther to lead the Protestant reformation, encountering distaste in the current state of the Catholic community he decided to create a new, less corrupt religion. The skeptic aspect of humanism allowed for discussion on analysis of critical tenets of Christianity such as free will, ultimately leading to Luther’s reformation of the Catholic Church.

The first considerable movement of the Renaissance was the humanist movement led by Francesco Petrarch that began in the early 1400’s. Humanism is not a formal philosophy; therefore, Petrarch ca...

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... Renaissance and the introduction of skeptic thought, most people would have had to endure practices of the overbearing Christian religion, along with its dogma and traditions which had been deeply rooted for centuries.

The skeptic element of humanism allowed for a new way of thinking during the Renaissance. As discussed, Petrarch initially brought humanism to popularity before the Renaissance began. During the Renaissance; Valla continued the movement towards newer and freer thinking by using his humanistic and skeptic philosophy to argue about free will, an essential tenet of Christianity. As is evident, there is a clear evolution from the introduction of skepticism to the application of skeptic thought to the fundamental ideals of Christianity, ultimately leading to Luther and his Protestant Reformation, the ultimate application of the skeptic thought.