Renaissance Humanism Essay

Arguably the greatest and longest impacting movement brought about by the forward thinkers of the Renaissance was humanism. Humanism was a cultural and intellectual movement that emphasized the human potential to attain excellence through direct study of the literature, art, and civilization of the classical Greek and Roman societies (Merriam-Webster). The scholars and believers in humanism sought to change the course of society away from the narrow pedantry of medieval scholasticism and utilitarianism. Humanism was a basic desire for every citizen to be able to speak with eloquence and read and write with clarity, so that common citizens were capable of engaging in the civic life of their communities (Gray). The movement also emphasized the value of a human being as well as the importance of rational thought rather than blind faith in spiritualism or superstition. It also pushed people to explore human desires and pleasures while also enriching their minds. The influential nature of humanism was far reaching and most notable for its effects on Renaissance art, literature, and philosophy.

It focuses on human beings, their values, abilities, and individual worth, and human society as something valuable that could be improved. Renaissance humanism challenged the worldview of the Middle Ages. Humanism led to new attitudes towards art, philosophy, and government. P.336 - P.344 (Document D)

The Renaissance was a huge time for growth. Humanism, the praising of the intelligence and beauty of a person, spread very widely in this time and not only did it improve how people thought about themselves, but it improved how people thought about others. (Background Essay) The Renaissance changed the concept of what it meant to be human as seen in art, literature and science.

The Renaissance period was impacted by humanism strongly because people were now starting to realize, they weren’t just peasants that worked for a lord but they too were people that could make their own decisions. People valued their self-worth now, and they wanted to learn about reading, writing, and the

The Renaissance is described as “a new intellectual and artistic movement in Italy, a movement strongly critical of the present and admiring of a past that had disappeared with the western Roman Empire and the end of Italy’s greatness.” (Pg. 292). Literature from all over Europe was being found and philosophical work also was being spread to more people, and these same people became obsessed with the classical past and soon competition between city-states about their symbols, art, and artifacts began to grow. Humanism also became very popular because of the Renaissance and the goal was “...of a humanist education was the understanding of human experience through the lenses of the classical past, in the service of man’s individual potential in the present.” (Pg. 294).

The ancient ideas about beuty- of mind, body and spirit, led on to a new philosophy, known as humanism, which challenged the teachings of the medieval Church. Renaissance thinkers made human beings, and human achivements, their main concern. They cared more about life in this world, than about eternity. Most humanists did not reject altogether. But now they believed that, in some ways, humans could be perfect, and almost equal to God.

Beginning roughly around the year 1400 an era in Europe began; one that would shape the ideas and the lives of men. This era of rebirth or renaissance came within the fifteenth century through the revival of classical texts. One central effect of the Renaissance was the production of a new intellectual idea: humanism. Humanism being defined as a, “[t]erm invented in the 19th century. . . [regarding] developments relating to the revival of Classical literature and learning in European culture from roughly 1300 to 1600” left its mark on all of Europe leaving nothing untouched not even the artist. Both northern and southern art would be affected by humanism but in different ways ranging from changes in the human form, new choices of

The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy around the 1500’s to about the 1700’s. Florence, Italy was the mecca of this rebirth because at the time Florence was extremely wealthy and the people of the city had political freedom and those new ideals of the Renaissance were not being condemned in Florence as they were other cities. This was a time where the arts and the logic of one’s own mind was valued rather than criticized, the antiquated medieval ideals no longer matched the needs of those who were living during the early Renaissance. Eventually, a term for this way of thinking arose and was called Humanism, and what humanism is, is an ideology where humans can lead themselves to create a prosperous life and instead of leaning on supernatural forces for answers. Humanists believe that humans have enough logic to create conclusions themselves. This brand-new way of thinking caused a lot of controversy because it did question God’s ability and the church’s power, but the ideas behind it are still heavily used today, even in the 21st century. Humanism in the early Renaissance is important because it called for thinking with reason, it allowed an appreciation for human body and mind, inspired authors and caused a shift in power.

Humanism, Renaissance era humanism specifically, was an intellectual and philosophical movement that placed increasing importance of human beings as an individual. The impact of humanism was such a defining part of the Renaissance. The ideologies that are apart of humanism helped spearhead the movement that saw profound change from medieval era culture. Humanism had a widespread reach and consequently had a huge influence on cultural beliefs, philosophy, and art. Humanism was a driving force that played a large part in carrying humanity from the medieval era into the Renaissance.

After the collapse of the Greek and Roman Empires, the renaissance was considered to be the rebirth of Europe. The renaissance held extraordinary discoveries such as paper, the printing press, clock, compass, and many more exciting and useful things that are used in the present. The renaissance also brought back the importance of politics, and of city-states and national monarchies. A major theme of the renaissance was humanism. Humanism was a theoretical movement which was created by earthlier men rather than scholarly lords. Beginning in Italy in the 15th century, humanism was dominated by men like Dante, and Petrarch. Humanism held many strong and important features such as; human nature and its manifestations and achievements as its main subject, dignity of man, and stressed unity and compatibility. Humanism also took place of the medieval ideals and was pushing to help a person break free from those ideals. Humanism sparked the ideals of the reformation and counter reformation. It also generated much of Europe’s vitality and attention. Another main theme was the High Renaissance, which was surrounded by three major artists; Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Architecture was also an important theme in this era, as columns, domes, and arched windows were being put into action in the cathedrals around Europe.

Humanism describes the emphasis that was revived in the Renaissance when the Liberal Arts were used to distinguish man from beasts. Through letters--or scholarship--was sought a rebirth of spirit and spiritual freedom and justification of the claim to rational autonomy. In essence, the Renaissance was a revival of the capacities and powers of the ancients.

The gigantic effect that education had on Renaissance society was greatly stimulated by the new development of humanism. Humanism was responsible for the curiosity of many intellects during the Renaissance, which ultimately led to the discoveries and developments that made the Renaissance such a remarkable time. It proposed a different way of thinking, unprecedented by scholars. Without humanism and the educational interest that it brought about, the Renaissance would not be known as the explosion of culture that it is considered today.

The Renaissance was remarkable because of the ideas of humanism that proliferated during that time period. From the humanism movement, many more concepts developed from it, primarily education and how significant it was. Originally, Renaissance education was fixated on Classical literature, and it was widely celebrated (Doc 1, Doc 2, Doc 3). Centuries later, it was ridiculed because it provided no teachings of essential subjects (Doc 5, Doc 6). Renaissance education was initially deemed important for religious, social, and glorification reasons, but as time advanced, it was constantly challenged because it was useless to society, taught unnecessary subjects, and only affected a small fraction of people; as a result, it ultimately failed to survive.

Throughout the years of the Renaissance, the European people moved to a more secular form of social life and brought into practice new ideas about self-knowledge and worldly pleasure. The general public began viewing the world from a whole different perspective in the beginning years of the Renaissance. The new idea of Humanism or human importance became popular among many philosophers, and was quickly adopted by the rest of society. Humanism promoted the seeking of worldly pleasure, personal independence and wisdom, and the secularization of the church and the world. Many philosophers dreamed of a 'perfect' society called Utopia, and some even tried to create it. Utopia was the idea of a society in which everything was perfectly equal, and in which there were no problems or struggles, yet everyone got what they wanted. Humanism in the Renaissance was basically a shift from traditional Christianity to a new age of science and individual freedom. On pg 25 of World

Humanism, which involves the study of, among other things, grammar, poetry, and moral philosophy, was a major contributing factor to the evolution of the Italian Renaissance. It was a popular movement among the upper class that emphasized the importance of a liberal arts education, complete with exposure to ancient Greek and Latin texts, as well as the works of ancient philosophers (i.e. Plato, Cicero, etc.). Along with this idea of personal edification, came a newfound desire to analyze, adapt, and adopt the ways of European, specifically Greco-Roman, antiquity. Figures, such as Petrarch and Salutati are credited with bringing these, once lost, concepts to the attention of the Florentine elite; however, I believe it was under the social and political influence of the Medici family that humanism truly began to reshape the cultural landscape of Florence.