Humanism and its Role as an Impetus in the Renaissance
Today, humanism is considered an important idea in history because of its significance to the Renaissance period. Unfortunately, it has also become the cure-all answer that students spit out in response to Renaissance-themed question. Why did Shakespeare write real women characters? Humanism. How on earth did Raphael produce such beautiful artwork? Humanism. What possessed Leonardo da Vinci to come up with so many flying machines? Humanism. On some levels, this word is the correct answer to these questions. What is often neglected to be taught or understood is how humanism became the drive behind significant changes that happened in the Renaissance. Humanism, harkening back to classical
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We can assume from this that Ficino was familiar with Socrates, who did not write down any of his own lectures or dialogues, but whose work was catalogued by Plato. Ergo, Ficino would presumably have been familiar with the Socratic method of inquiry. In essence, the Socratic method is the process of asking questions in order to promote critical thinking, which is a humanistic idea through its basis in self-reliance. In his letter, Ficino writes about “Florence, where Platonic teaching has been recalled from darkness into light.” Because Plato was a disciple of the Socratic method, it is probable that these teachings in Florence had at least some basis in Socratic …show more content…
Before she had even turned nineteen, Cereta was already writing to Cardinal Ascanio Maria Sforza in an attempt to express her frustration and ask advice regarding the sexism-based negative reactions she was receiving (and would continue to receive) from her writings . In this letter, she questions why men should be given an education and freedom to use it while women should have to scrape together their own learning only to hide it away. Cereta emphasizes the power of the female mind: “I reached a decision that awakened in me a desire for fame and honor, as though my mind were challenging itself to scale new heights. . .” She dares to say that women should be allowed to pursue that which they find fulfilling. Although it is not likely that Cereta intended this private letter to become a treatise on feminism, it is significant that she would feel so free to say such things to a cardinal, a member of an incredibly patriarchal organization. This alone shows the freedom that came with being able to ask questions and read voraciously, the latter a gift from the invention of the printing
Established in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to counter the limited ideals of medieval scholasticism, Renaissance Humanism were educational and social reform ideals that sought to emphasize individualism as a central value in contrast to religious beliefs. Humanists revered the dignity of human kind and called for a life of virtuous action. The writings of Petrarch and Pico exemplify humanist thought by displaying the values of self-knowledge, individualism, and studying lessons from the past; appealing to the authorities of the Greek and Latin classics by Cicero, Vergil, Horace, Plato and Livy. Petrarch and Pico’s thinking can be constituted as a marked departure from medieval attitudes and beliefs, due to the origins of humanist resources being classical and biblical rather stemmed from medieval philosophers and theologians.
4. Renaissance humanism was an intellectual trend that came from interest in Greco-Roman literature. It changed theories and education because it secularized history--events were no longer blamed on God’s will.
Nauert, Charles G., Jr. Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print.
According to Nicholas Mann, "Humanism is that concern with the legacy of antiquity, and in particular but not exclusively with its literary legacy... it involves above all the rediscovery and study of Greek and Roman texts, the restoration and interpretation of them, and the assimilation of the ideas and values they contain." The Studia Humanitatis (Studies of Humanity) is a Latin term used by Roman writers describing a cycle of studies in the humanities including, grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy. Francesco Petrarch, an Italian scholar and poet of the fifteenth century, is considered by many to be the father of humanism. Petrarch 's influential texts had circulated widely throughout Florence and made their way into the government. Thus, humanist learning began to shape political ideologies in Florence. By inspiring humanist philosophy, Petrarch helped pave the way for the start of the Renaissance.
During the Renaissance, people were dedicated to studying human works. They would observe from real life to gain inspiration, new ideas, and to try to recreate the world as they saw it in their art. New techniques such as scientific and atmospheric perspective were created, changing art forever. Artists would use their skills to create works for patrons, from the Church, various guilds, and other religious orders. During the High Renaissance, Julius II commissioned Raphael to decorate the Vatican Palace. The first of the rooms he decorated was The “Room of the Signature”, where he painted The School of Athens. Originally, this room housed Julius II’s personal library, but later on it would be the room where papal documents were signed. In 1508, Raphael began painting four frescoes that represented theology, philosophy, law, and the arts. As stated in Janson’s History of Art Volume II, This fresco “represents a summation of High Renaissance humanism, for it attempts to represent the unity of knowledge in one grand scheme.” Raphael’s The School of Athens is a prime example of humanistic art, as evidenced by the subject of the art itself, the classical elements in the piece, and it’s scientific and illusionistic rendering.
During the 15th century, Northern Europe as well as Italy witnessed a serious revival of drawing accompanied by sculpture, painting and architecture. This revival was termed as the Renaissance. The revival effected major changes onto the representation of pictorial space on these two regions. These changes on that occurred on pictorial space representation were mostly driven by new idea of “Humanism”. Humanism philosophy practically outwitted religious and secular belief. As a result, the philosophy shifted a lot f importance to the dignity and value of the individual (Prescott, 2005; Fuga, 2006).
The Renaissance, occurring from approximately 1300 to 1600 CE, was a period that began in Florence, Italy and spread to other parts of Western Europe (Fiero, 377). During this time, humanism became an ideal that the culture revolved around. Humanism is a philosophy that focuses on the abilities of humans and the importance of goodness, needs and rationality rather than the theistic beliefs religion offers (“Humanism”). Humanism is based around the strengths of humans. The result of this was a vast dominance of the arts during this time.
During the renaissance, there was a renewed interest in the arts, and the traditional views of society came into question. People began to explore the power of the human mind. A term often used to describe the increasing interest in the powers of the human mind is humanism. Generally, humanism stresses the individual's creative, reasoning, and aesthetic powers. However, during the Renaissance, individual ideas about humanism differed.
Humanism The introduction of the concept of humanism greatly affected the Renaissance. The Humanistic influence shaped Renaissance art, writing, education and thinkers, its ideas were spread among all aspects of life. Machiavelli’s writings during the Renaissance were also affected by the ideas of humanism. His ideas reflect the thoughts of humanism in the way he thought governments and societies should be organized.
One of the most important inventions of the Renaissance was that of the printing press in 1445 by Johannes Gutenberg. The creation of the printing press gave birth to an influx of intellectual study and the emergence of humanism. Since books and manuscripts were considerably easier to produce and acquire, more people began to read and gain knowledge in topics that had been previously inaccessible to them. Humanist scholars delved into writings regarding science, art, politics, and philosophy. They became fascinated with the human life and intellect (Annenberg Foundation).
...at teach students about rhetoric and how to speak and write eloquently. These courses also include classical works as an essential part of their curriculum; students study ancient Greek and Roman mythology and dissect their ideas, themes, and structures. People strive to reach perfection in their school work, jobs, sports, and relationships. Aspects of humanism are woven into today’s society, as well as the society of the past. Humanism turned the population’s method of thinking and outlook on life on its head during the renaissance. Throughout the renaissance, humanists preached of the perfectibility and infinite potential of humanisms, and revived classical works and figures. These characterizing ideals of humanism can be found in the letters of Petrarch and orations of Pico della Mirandola, and they are reproduced in the poems and plays of Shakespeare.
A central focus of the Renaissance was humanism. Humanism was an intellectual movement that claimed the heart of the Renaissance. Humanists studied the classical cultures of Greece and Rome. They used their newly acquired knowledge to develop a better understand of their own times. Humanists, although they were mostly Christian, did not focus of religion. Instead they were fixated on worldly subjects. It was believed that education should stimulate one’s creative mind. Humanists emphasized humanities, which are classic subjects such as grammar and poetry.
Leadership is studied and analysed so that the effective practices can be taught and applied in today’s organizations. The concept of leadership has been expanded to discuss the follower’s role in the leader-follower relationship. While leading is often considered an active role, following can have a negative connotation, especially when seen as a passive, subordinate position. However, following can be a choice, and the difference between the leader and follower is the activities, rather than abilities (Wren, p.201). An organization possesses effective followers is just as important for success as having effective leaders. Hersey and Blanchard describe this relationship as dynamic and use Situational Leadership (R) as a model for the leader’s to improve the performance of their followers. Manz and Sims describe a historical view of leader types which has evolved to view the superleader as the most effective type for our current culture. The role of the superleader is to empower followers to become self-leaders themselves. The Situational Leadership model may contain the word “Leadership”, but it is mostly about effective management practices and does not address developing the role of the follower.
M. H. Abram's A Glossary of Literary Terms defines Renaissance Humanism, stating that some of the key concepts of the philosophy centered around "the dignity and central position of human beings in the universe" as reasoning creatures, as well as downplaying the "'animal' passions" of the individual. The mode of the thought also "stressed the need for a rounded development of and individual's diverse powers... as opposed to merely technical or specialized training." Finally, all of this was synthesized into and perhaps defined by their tendency to minimize the prevalent Christian ideal of innate corruption and withdrawal from the present, flawed world in anticipation of heaven. (p. 83)
Many diverse ideas flourished during the European Renaissance which had a lasting impact on the world. Humanism is a worldview and a moral philosophy that considers humans to be of primary importance. The aspect of humanism first thrived in 14th century Italy, and later spread north in the 15th century. Initially humanistic ideas about education were quickly adopted by the Italian upper class. The Italian ideas and attitudes towards life and learning impacted nobility in other parts of Europe. They were able to accept and adapt to this new lifestyle. Humanism during the Renaissance helped to spread ideas about the basic nature of human beings, how people should be educated to become well rounded individuals, and how education impacts an individual’s life.