How Did The Renaissance Impact Society

The Renaissance, which is French for the word “rebirth” or “revival”, was the cultural bloom for Europe. Before this era, life was an everyday battle, facing warfare, poverty, and disease. Starting in around 1400 C.E and lasting until about 1700 C.E, the Renaissance brought about new philosophies, lifestyles, and ideas that changed the world forever. The Renaissance changed the way people saw the world and their place in it by focusing more on education and decreasing religion’s importance.

Ptolemy, a Roman astronomer came up with the theory that the universe revolved around Earth and all the creatures inhabiting it (Doc. C). This theory, The Geocentric Universe of Ptolemy, was adjusted by most of the people during The Middle Ages. However, much later on, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, disagreed with Ptolemy’s theory. With his use of math and reason, he came up with a new theory called The Heliocentric Universe of Copernicus (Doc. C). He said that the universe & Earth itself revolves around the sun. The Church denied this theory because they did not want to be proven wrong. If the Church was wrong about this part of the universe, this would then cause man to wonder what else they could be wrong about, or even lied to them about. This new theory taught men to think for themselves and not to rely on the Church for

During most of the 16th and 17th centuries, it was not easy for scientists to make new discoveries and present them to the world. The Catholic Church, a dominating force during that period, persecuted anyone who would spread ideas and opinions that contradicted what the Bible stated. Both Copernicus and Galileo believed in the heliocentric theory, also called Copernicus theory, which stated that the sun was at the centre of the universe and the earth revolves around it. However, the Catholic Church did not agree with this idea because the Bible stated that the earth was at the centre of the universe and the sun revolved around it, which is the complete opposite. Due to this disagreement, Copernicus and Galileo were threaded by the Catholic Church and

All of these amazing discoveries were not without incidences and consequences. During the renaissance, the philosophy of Humanism wanted people to question authority and to examine the world around them. Along with this came a change from the passive life to being active in the world around them (General Characteristics of the Renaissance). People were to take part in every aspect of life, publicly, religiously and politically. With the down fall of feudalism, city states and monarchies came to power. With each came a language and a culture of their own, loyalty to Rome and the pope became secondary. This was the founding of the countries of Europe (Guisepi). Martin Luther disagreed with the belief held by the Catholic Church that only through the church could one be saved. By challenging the Catholic Church, Luther started a chain reaction that saw the split from the church and the formation of the Protestant reformation (General Characteristics of the Renaissance). The church battled for power and by attacking the very nonconformist that Humanism had fostered. Galileo and Luther were both branded as heretics (Staff). This resulted in a division between secular and spiritual

During the Scientific Revolution, in the 17th century, several philosophers began to doubt scientific knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. One of those philosophers, Galileo, discovered a new innovation that could have changed the viewpoint on the Church’s Scripture accuracy. Galileo discovered that the sun stayed still as the Earth revolved around it, which was the opposite of what the Church taught. During this time, it was very dangerous for Galileo to oppose the Church. This was because doubts about the Church would lead to a loss of its power and the people’s trust, which was unwanted.

So when Copernicus brought up the idea of the heliocentric earth it came in conflict with the Church. In Document C it sates "Ptolemy... developed a theory of the universe that was adopted by most scholars during the

The Renaissance was a period of time when Europeans experienced a shift in thinking. This “rebirth” led to a time of creativity in which they began to think outside the box instead of inside. It sprouted from the Dark Ages and led to the modern era. During the Renaissance, the Europeans began to adopt a new way of thinking that included the increasing presence of art and the idea of individualism, the decline in the significance of the Church, and the arising of the importance of education. The Renaissance was a great time of change that shaped the way that Europeans perceived their surroundings and the world.

Galileo created a telescope and turned it to the sky. As a result of his observations, our solar system was seen in a way that had never been imaginable before. He discovered that the Earth was not at the center of the solar system, but instead the earth revolved around the sun. Prior to this discovery, the church adopted the idea that the Earth was at the center of the solar system and everything revolved around it. This discovery altered our view of science and the church in large and small

Nicholas Copernicus was the first to question the universal truths and teachings of the church. He devised a theory that the earth along with the other planets revolved around the sun. This theory disagreed with Aristotle and the old teachings that the universe revolved around the earth, and that man was the center of the universe.

The Renaissance was a rebirth of the ideas of ancient Greece and Rome that began in the City States of Italy during the 14th century. The cultural resurgence began a new style of living in Europe after the horrors of the black death, and is seen as the beginning of the culture of the modern world. As Wassace K. Ferguson put in his book The Renaissance, the Italian artists grew tired of the darkness of Medieval Times and began to turn to the brighter times found in the classical ages (Doc 7). The Renaissance served as the evolutionary bridge between the Middle Ages and the 17th century through art, education, and religion by bringing a rebirth of the ancient Greek and Roman classics that would later define the world’s culture, while continuing the underlying beliefs of Medieval Times.

As stated in the book, “His public support of Copernicus disturbed Catholic theologians, who were convinced it undermined correct belief and the authority of the church” (The Human Record, 41). So, therefore these new findings of ideas did not agree with the way the Catholic Church was organized or the power of which the church held. Copernicus created this theory that was supported by Galileo. This theory argued about what was at the center of the universe, which was not the earth, but it was the sun (The Human Record, 41). Finding new discoveries regarding science was the idea Copernicus had in mind.

The Catholic Church was extremely powerful and influential in their communities which supported the theory of a geocentric, or Earth-centered, universe. During Galileo’s time, people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and the Sun and planets revolved around it. Galileo Galilei’s discovery of the heliocentric theory strengthened Galileo’s belief in Copernicus’ theory that Earth and all the other planets revolved around the Sun. Once Galileo presented the heliocentric theory, the Catholic Church believed Galileo could not be a devoted Catholic and a scientist at once. The Church was infuriated with Galileo’s book about the discovery so they decided to set a trial against Galileo.

The reason today’s society lives the way it does today is due to the Renaissance; which is a very influential time period of history. A way the renaissance influenced in modern society is through art. The Renaissance was immediately after the middle ages. New developments of technology, astronomy, philosophy and arts/literature were parts of the Renaissance.

“His model wasn't completely correct, it formed a strong foundation for future scientists to build on and improve mankind's understanding of the motion of heavenly bodies.”(NASA.Gov) When Copernicus came out with his theory people disagreed with him. His community believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. So when he told people about his beliefs, he found himself under house arrest for disagreeing against the Catholic church. If he published this information he might of gotten tortured or punished.(Csewi.org) He planned that a year after his death that the book should be

The Renaissance was a time of “rebirth” and a transition from the medieval time to the Early Modern World. It emphasized human beings, their achievements, interests, and capabilities. This time period was a “gateway” to the modern world and was essential for the improvement of human life. At the time there were two main Renaissances, the Northern, and the Italian.