Humanism

:"Humanistic" redirects here. For the 2001 album by Abandoned Pools, see Humanistic (album).

Renaissance

Renaissance humanism was a cultural movement in Europe, beginning in central Italy (particularly Florence) in the last decades of the 14th century. It revived, and refined the study of ancient language (First Latin, and then the Greek language by mid-century); and caused the resultant "revival" of the studies of science, philosophy, art and poetry of classical antiquity. The "revival", or "re-birth" was based upon interpretations of Roman and Greek texts. Their emphasis upon art, and the senses marked a great change from the contemplation upon the Biblical, medieval values of humility, introspection, and passivity, or "meekness". Beauty was held to represent a deep inner virtue, and value, and "an essential element in the path towards God". As a result, the production of art in this period is particularly rampant. The crisis of "Renaissance humanism" came with the trial of Galileo; for it (the trial) forced the choice between basing the authority of one's beliefs on one's observations, or upon religious teaching. The trial made the contradictions between humanism and religion visibly apparent to all, and humanism became a "dangerous doctrine".

Related Topics:
Renaissance humanism - Cultural movement - Europe - Language - Greek language - Science - Philosophy - Art - Poetry - Classical antiquity - Medieval - Galileo

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Renaissance humanists believed that the liberal arts (art, grammar, rhetoric, oratory, history, poetry, using classical texts, and the studies of all of the above) should be practiced by all levels of "rich-ness". They also approved of self, "human worth" and "individual dignity".

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As noted in Theodore K. Rabb's book, Renaissance Lives, the poet Petrarch, through his friend Boccaccio and by other connections, became the inspiration for this new intellectual and artistic movement, known today as humanism, that was to set Florentine culture apart, and make it into a model for all of Europe.

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