3. CULTURAL CHANGES
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Webvideo: Humanism in the Renaissance
Talking book
Talking book
Important
The great humanist thinkers included:
- The Dutchman Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote The Praise of Folly (1511). This work criticised the customs of the time, including corruption in the church.
- The Florentine Niccolo Machiavelli reflected on power. In his work The Prince (1513), he gave practical advice to the rulers of the time, without considering any moral implications.
- The Englishman Thomas More wrote Utopia (1516). This proposed an ideal of a political system based on justice and equality.
At the beginning of the Early Modern Age there were also significant developments in thinking and science. Ideas spread rapidly due to an extremely important invention: the printing press.
Humanist philosophy
Prosperity resulted in transformations in the ways of thinking. A new intellectual movement, called humanism, emerged in Italy and spread throughout Europe. Its main characteristics were:
- A renewed interest in classical culture: Classical Greek and Roman culture and philosophy became the point of reference for intellectual and artistic activity.
- Anthropocentrism: human beings became the centre of philosophical reflection and artistic creation. Although the humanists continued to be Christians, they abandoned theocentrism of the Middle Ages. They tried to explain reality without religion.
- Optimism and creativity: religious beliefs that caused fear (the concept of sin) were replaced by the belief in a better life in this world. Creativity was oriented towards obtaining better techniques, which resulted in numerous inventions.
- The desire for knowledge: the humanists possessed a great intellectual curiosity. They did not limit their knowledge to one special area. They wanted to learn about everything and be Renaissance Man.
- Critical thinking: Until then, knowledge was based on tradition, the great scholars or sacred texts. Humanism questioned all this previous knowledge and tried to explain natural phenomena through:
– Individual reflection: reason.
– Extensive studies: research.
– Practical demonstrations: experimentation.
- The use of vernacular languages: Previously, most books were written in Latin. The humanists started to write their works in languages spoken in their countries. This was the case of the Italians Dante (Divine Comedy), Petrarch (Canzoniere) and Boccaccio (the Decameron). Due to this, more people had access to culture and new knowledge.
SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES AND THE SPREAD OF NEW IDEAS
There was a great advance in technology and scientific knowledge in general.
In the 16th century, the astronomer Copernicus proposed a revolutionary theory: the heliocentric hypothesis. This said that the Earth revolved around the Sun and not vice versa, as was commonly believed at this time.
He also made discoveries about the human body thanks to the anatomical studies of the physician Andreas Vesalius and other humanists.
These new ideas spread rapidly due to two factors:
- The invention of the movable-type printing press by Gutenberg: this invention enabled a large number of books to be printed. After working on his idea for many years, the first book was printed on his invention in 1455, which was a bible. From this moment, new ideas reached more people through books.
- The creation of cultural institutions: following the example of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, science and arts academies were founded. The most important ones were in Florence, Rome and Naples. The new humanist philosophy was also spread from many universities such as those in Rome, Bologna and Padua.
