The Middle Ages And The Renaissance

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.

The Renaissance challenged the status quo of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the Church had authority over most people. These people also had limited rights. All of this changed during the Renaissance. This period of time focused on the philosophy of humanism, which embodied the idea that humans were a significant part of the world. The Renaissance changed man’s view of man through the institutions of literature, astronomy, anatomy, and art.

The shift between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was characterized by great socio-economic, political, and religious changes. Politically, the feudal system of the Middle Ages was exchanged for a more stable centralized republic/monarchy system that gave the people more freedom and input. Religiously, secularism became more important as stability gave people a chance to concern themselves with the “here and now” rather than simply the “hereafter.” Socially, there was a shift from dogma and unshakeable belief to humanism and the ability to interpret things for oneself. The Middle Ages began around 400 CE and lasted until 1400 CE while the Renaissance began around 1200 and continued until 1600. The 200 years that overlap between

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 Middle Ages lasted from 500 CE to the early 1300’s. It was a time of poverty, disease, and religion. After the Middle Ages ended, Europe was during a time period called the Renaissance. The Renaissance lasted from 1300-1700. People in the Renaissance had a limited education, but as it grew, it introduced a movement called humanism (Background Essay). Humanism praised the beauty and intelligence of an individual (Background Essay). The Renaissance ended up being a time of evolution and these two time periods changed the world for the better. The purpose of this essay is to explain how the Renaissance changed man’s view of the world.

The ideals of the Renaissance were very different from those of the Middle Ages. The worldview of the Middle Ages was shaped by religion. Tradition, such as God being perfect, was not questioned. This was very different from the viewpoint during the Renaissance. The thinkers of the Renaissance questioned everything and revived interest in classic ancient Greek and Roman thought. This revived interest in classical Greek and Roman thinking was called humanism. Humanism put a prime importance on humans rather than divine matters. Thinkers from the Renaissance explored the fullness and diversity of human knowledge in the present. They also placed importance on individual

One of the main ideas that developed in the Italian Renaissance was Humanism. Humanism started in Italy because the Father of Humanism named Petrarch lived in Italy. Humanism is the idea that humans can attain happiness and should individually strive for achievement in life. A key characteristic of humanism includes a belief in the worth of individual life. Humanistic scholars studied philosophy, literature, and history of classical civilizations.

In the Middle Ages, art was centered around the Church. The purpose of art was to glorify the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Altshuler, 2009, p. 127). Art was not made to produce a feeling it was made simply to tell a story. Artists were usually sanctioned by the church to complete specific works. All artists were male with the exception of some women who did embroideries (Altshuler, 2009, p. 127). Many different types of media was used during this time including; paint, embroidery, stain glass, relief statues and more.

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.

The Renaissance change the way people looked at humanism.Humanism is a when you turned away from the medieval things and take interest in the important ones. Although many people wanted to have individualism, most people did. They took a habit of being independent and self reliant. The Renaissance period changed the way people viewed things, like the complexity of men, artistic expression, and individualism.

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 a cultural movement that spanned the period roughly from the 14th to 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term 'renaissance' came from the French word meaning 'rebirth'. The defining concept of the Renaissance was humanism. Humanism was a distinct movement because it broke from the medieval tradition of having pious religious motivation for creating art or works of literature. The Renaissance humanism was a collection of Greek and Roman teachings, undertaken by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are known as Renaissance humanists. During the Renaissance, secularism showed itself when people would show a higher interest in human achievements and how these achievements fulfilled their world. Also, secularism, at the time of the Renaissance, exhibited itself in the development of humanism, when people began to show more interest in human cultural achievements and the possibilities of their fulfillment in this world. As the Renaissance developed, Individualism became a famous theme in Italy. Individualism is the political philosophy, that emphasize the moral worth of the individual. Many philosophers wrote about the potential of man and developed their own beliefs as to the kind of person an individual should aim to be. These views inspired many people to invest in their studies of the arts and humanities, and as a result, many significant achievements came out of the Renaissance.

Humanism allowed people to realize that everyone’s mind and thoughts were endless; the only constraint being the imagination. During the Renaissance the aspect of a human’s education was equally important in the creation of well rounded individuals.