Humanism has been a defining concept of the western civilization that introduced modernity along with renaissance and reformation. The executives of humanism left a lasting and powerful impact on the entire society. These humanistic ideals worked in almost every field of life like philosophy, religion, art, politics and many more.
The humanistic movement was actually an educational program that introduced modernism. Humanist Leonardo Bruni and Leon Battista Alberti showed great work in the field of literature. Although they incorporated more of ancient Greek and Latin, they also agreed with Petrarch.
They incorporated the modern ideas like the man is obligated to work for his fulfillment and that he also has a responsibility on family as well as his state. However, one drawback of this moment was the hindrance of women, as they kicked them out of that educational sphere. One example of this is “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe. According to Urban II, “Not how the customs of the harmony and détente of God – went for achieving harmony in Christendom – ties in specifically with require a Crusade”.
Erasmus is a notable humanist when it comes to religion. With his vast knowledge of Greek and Latin and his critical thinking, he made an advanced edition of the New Testament that was used later for the revision of Bible.
Moreover, “Erasmus excelled in the deft use of irony, poking fun at all and sundry, including himself”. Moreover, Erasmus also worked with Thomas More and they both together made significant contributions in the field of Christianity like that of its early history and many more. As per Cole, a few humanists may have needed to restore the standards of the Roman Republic, however a large number of them worked for driven autocrats who displayed themselves on Rome’s despots or on the dictators of old Greece. According to Boccaccio: the Decameron it was thought, “No human shrewdness or prescience had any esteem: huge measures of deny and compost were expelled from the city by selected authorities”. However, humanist like Niccolò Machiavelli worked for the betterment of politics in the state and described the level of instability in the government. This led to significant chances for the betterment of government of Italy.
Not only n Florence, not only in Italy, but this Humanism impacted the entire Europe. The entire Europe found its way to modernity. The road to modernity involved many obstacles like the antiquity of thoughts, but ultimately, it led to the development of Europe. The humanists not only worked in that several period of time but left the developments like that of art, sculpture, literature, and many more for the next generations. Essay 2 Renaissance was a period when art and literature were at their peak. The introduction of renaissance, which was followed by reformation, marked an important event in history which led to the modernity and secularism. Renaissance was mainly connected with artistic modernity while reformation was connected to religious modernity. However, the renaissance did not happen in a single night; there were certain events that led to the renaissance. Renaissance is believed to be started in middle of 15th century. In 1453, the Constantinople fell and the Turks took over the entire state.
The Greek scholars of the city ran away and this harnessed the rise of renaissance. According to Peter Damian, “In fact a more noteworthy repentance is forced on the individuals who fall with others than the individuals who contaminate just themselves; and the individuals who finish the demonstration are to be made a decision about more seriously than the individuals who are debased through femoral sex”. Although renaissance was already growing but this event served as fuel on fire and thus the renaissance began. A typical man of that time according to Letters of Sidonius can be “Provision and Nature joined to bless him with the ideal endowments of fortune; his lifestyle is to such an extent that not in any case the jealousy which lies in sit tight for rulers can deny him of his appropriate acclaim”. People began to find the meaning of their life and started progressing towards the new world. They started to incorporate their own ideas with the previous idea of middle ages. The intellectual and artistic movement known as renaissance began to thrive.
During the end of 15th century, it was felt as if the church were not doing their tasks well enough. The church failed to provide answers to several questions about the evolution and societal problems of Christianity. This led the people towards religious secularism against churches and they began to incorporate their own intellect in the religious views. This was the time of protestant reformation which marked the end of middle ages. This can be justified by “Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare. The humanism along with renaissance and the secularism along with reformation served as a mediation between middle ages and the modern ages. It, however, allowed the humans to imagine their place in the society and find the meaning of life. People thrived for the excellence and thee philosophy of people like Socrates and Aristotle gave them a purpose of life. They inculcated values and made their place both in natural order and in society.
Concepts Of Western Civilization. (2022, Feb 28). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/concepts-of-western-civilization/