The birth of humanism as an intellectual movement changed the shaped the culture of humanity. Humanism, as it has always been, centered on the idea that human beings have always had purposes, personal gain, and worth, and values. Originated from the Renaissance Humanism, this movement commenced during the Thirteenth Century to control and govern the European community and thought. As prevailed, humanism played a substantial role in creating ways to understand the value and worth of people regardless of their differences. In fact, renaissance humanism did spread like wildfire as the study of classical antiquity. Some humanists existed from Italy and dispersed into Western Europe in three different eras and centuries from the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The all-inclusive picture of renaissance humanism pointed to an idea that human beings acquired personal and professional worth. In other words, humanism as a standpoint of independent and ethical life upheld that human beings bore their individual rights to provide importance in themselves and to shape their own lives. They have had ethical and moral responsibilities to give values of their significant lives. Some important scholars and great thinkers, such as Jacob Burckhardt, Francesco Petrarch, and Desiderius Erasmus, came alive to underline the relevance of humanism through the ages and managed to emphasize the worth of people in the world. With them and their colleagues, the principle of humanism will not reach the definition of the humanist movement, especially in Northern Europe. Burckhardt maintained that Italy as the start of the intellectual movement in modern Europe illustrated the unique political and cultural conditions; whereas, other humanists like Erasmus would tend to give reasons that the individual and the human society have been very significant. Some critics contended that the emergence of humanism seemed diverging from religious philosophies at times, but that others confirmed that humanism did not abandon the religious faith. The truth remained firm that humanists tried to maintain the balance between religion and rationality. As humanist movement amplified and deepened throughout long periods, humanists, such as Burckhardt, Desiderius, and many others, tried to push this intellectual movement in order to highlight moral regard and the resolute potential of human beings and to consider them as laudable individuals who have the rights and the responsibilities to live their decent lives.
The Renaissance humanists, such as Jacob Burckhardt, Desiderius Erasmus, Thomas Moore, and other individuals like William Shakespeare, pointed out the opportunities for change and personal growth. These experts created doors of change that reshaped individual minds to adopt newfangled ideas and philosophies. During the Renaissance Period, humanists restructured the academic and the social aspects of human beings by bringing advancement in terms of reasons and by understanding the development of creativity in terms of art, writing and thought. In other words, the across-the-board reputation and status of the renaissance altered numerous human life particularly on religious matters as the core target of the movement. This idea of humanism tried to transform society and people’s perspectives. It also responded to modify religious thoughts and to reform human values according to their highest potentials. Shakespeare, the first leading playwright, even introduced and amplified the core values of the renaissance. He also embraced the ideologies of the Renaissance that accentuated the personal substance of the human characters based on their psychological intricacies. Two Renaissance humanist writers, such as Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More, considered the positive implication of humanism and acquired an individual grasp on liberalism, restraint, and acceptance, as well as the expansion of desires to improve the lives of the people and their public welfare (Kohl, Welles, and Witt 36). Of course, these authors offered a number of ideas concerning the change and the landscape of the culture of humanity in which the notions of these humanists have been so compelling that people around the world today would bear their philosophical standpoints. As the humanists and their ideas encouraged individual beings to be dynamic in their communities, they also inspired others to accomplish such greatness of people and their personal wonders.
As well, the leading and prominent humanists, such as Burckhardt, Desiderius, and others, firmly applied the lessons of classical rhetorical theory in their texts. The curiosity that these humanists had during the renaissance stressed various humanist ideas founded in classical Greek and Roman reason and thought. Many Italians in Europe cultivated the notion of transformation out of fascination and lineage of the Greek and the Roman interpretations and opinions of liberation and freedom. The philosophy of the Greeks and the Romans in terms of liberation and freedom affected the society that influenced Europe for a very long time. The presence of art and culture brought to a new level of charm that influenced many people in Europe. There may be reasons for the rebirth of the classical ideologies of the Greeks and the Romans during that century (Kohl, Welles, and Witt 39). One of these reasons was the emergence of secular curiosity in which humanists and other people broke the boundaries of human ideas and explore the boundaries of religious dogmas and tenets. Essentially, another reason for the emergence of the renaissance was the invention of the printing press and then the dispersal of the humanist beliefs and philosophies. Regardless of those numerous reasons, it seemed fit to think and apt to consider that the renaissance did emerge due to the rise of ingenious ideas of change of human ideologies, “the intellectual curiosity of the people in Florence and other parts of the regions,” and the growth of rational views of life (Brucker 3). The influences of the Greek and the Roman cultural identities embodied within the core emotion of Florence where the renaissance started. However, the question remained ambiguous to realize and understand the cause of renaissance. Brucker provided some ideas that people during the time in Europe wanted to escape from various human activities, such as “natural disasters, social upheavals, revolutions, and acts of war” (Brucker 25). However, she only mentioned the details of human history from the medieval period to the modern era in Europe to underscore some events that ignited to create change. All these ideas might convey the rebirth of reason from the ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and flairs. The people in Florence, Italy and their aspirations of their descendants – the Romans and Greeks – as well as their prominent civilizations pushed themselves to ignite the renaissance. The focus of the classical literary texts and theories on people compelled them to explore the cultural antiquity of the Greeks and the Romans. The progress of Florence, Italy made the individual people embraced and empowered their affluence, authority, and understanding in the Church. The admiration of the classical traditions was real that the Europeans personified the classical literature and utilized the materials to connect people across the millennia. The fascination of the human body and the arts of women and men among the people in the industrial age exhibited a different angle of otherness, as well as the exotic sensuality, the mystery of the paintings, and the sculptures of human beings (Kohl, Welles, and Witt 42). These elements were visible during those ages as more people traveled to Italy to see the grandeur of artistic power and the appreciation of the Greek and Roman cultures. In other words, the renaissance humanism produced a reflective social, political, and economic implication throughout Europe. It meant that people realized the impact of political and social conditions that reshaped their individual views (Seigel 48). The presence of Erasmus as the leading yet imposing and influential Dutch scholar and Catholic priest did confirm this view of Renaissance humanism to characterize and revitalize the interest of people in the classical Greek and Roman imagination and ideology. Without these ancient texts of the Greeks and the Romans, humanists today might not realize the concept of freedom among others and individual independence. The classical texts and their literary documents about Greeks and Romans provided ideas among people including the augmented accessibility of people of the global views of liberty according to the humanist viewpoints, the commercial insurgency, and the initiation of the up-to-the-minute state. In other words, humanism, as it has been, existed with the purpose of reshaping the medieval status quo during that time. The need to have an intellectual movement needed to dominate the European thought during the Renaissance period. In the end, the core appearance of the Renaissance Humanism happened for a reason.
Moreover, the renaissance had to transpire. The ideas reflected in the classical texts transformed the minds of the modern world and the contemporary thinking of people and the whole society. Erasmus, Desiderius, Moore, and other humanist theorists wished to end and even break the medieval mindset in order to create modern and new perspectives. The bright side of renaissance was the idea of change from the barbaric period of the medieval times and the Middle Ages where war and invasion marred lives among human beings. During those times, people did not even value themselves as human persons. By realizing the importance of people and their lives, people would also comprehend the positive views of life. The classical ideologies and the standpoints of the Greeks and Romans were forceful that allowed individuals to reason and to choose what to believe. In terms of religion, humanists focused on the ideas and the capacities of human beings to act and question differences and variances. Humanists held the idea that human persons at their best have the options and the right to seek their own potential and their self-worth without the dictate of other people. The birth of renaissance as an intellectual movement did, however, social views and transformed the lives of the people. Humanism, based on its ideals, provided principles that would allow individuals to define their meanings, seek for the purposes of their lives, and talk about their personal gain and worth. Certainly, the Renaissance Humanism as a movement commenced to modify the European community and thought.
What is more, the substantial role of the classical texts and the fascination of people from the Greeks and the Romans created ways to understand the value and worth of people. It meant that renaissance humanism from the classical antiquity existed from Italy to disperse the values and the transformative ideologies of Western Europe. As well, the renaissance humanism centrally focused on human beings acquired personal and professional worth. In other words, humanism as a standpoint of independent and ethical life upheld that human beings acquired the right to live their lives according the values of people. The classical texts served as mediums for reflections of the classical and historical accounts of the Greek and the Roman and their moral philosophies. The presence of Francesco Petrarch between 1304 and 1374 known as the Father of Italian Humanism understood the roles of individuals and their values in society. The classical writings of the humanists and the classical scripts remained very relevant as the moral guidance in which people observed to reform humanity. Critics found the key principle of Renaissance Humanism to forward the sense of eloquence, the sense of logic, and the rights of all people to claim their worth (Gray 497). Petrarch validated his moral view in order to embrace the classical ideas and the transformation of modern standpoints. Without Petrarch, the religious foundations and the prevailing doctrines would remain firm and questionable based on rational sense.
In the end, renaissance humanism ethical and moral responsibilities to give values of their significant lives. Two important scholars and great thinkers, such as Jacob Burckhardt and Desiderius Erasmus, came alive to underline the relevance of humanism through the ages and accomplished to underline the worth of people in the world. With them and their colleagues, the principle of humanism will not reach the definition of the humanist movement, especially in Northern Europe. All humanists and theorists like Burckhardt preserved Italy as the start of the intellectual movement in modern Europe. As illustrated, others considered this place unique to the growth of the political and cultural circumstances. Furthermore, the named Erasmus, Petrarch, Desiderius, and the like emphasized the value of reasons and the rights of people to highlight the substantial principles of human beings. Some critics contended that the emergence of humanism seemed diverging from religious philosophies at times, but that others confirmed that humanism did not abandon the religious faith. The truth remained firm that humanists tried to maintain the balance between belief and wisdom and to give emphasis on the right time and the moral regard of human persons.
Works Cited
Brucker, Gene A. The Civic World of Early Renaissance Florence. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Gray, Hanna H. “Renaissance Humanism: The Pursuit of Eloquence.” Journal of the History of Ideas (1963): 497-514.
Hunt, A. J. “The Earthly Republic. Italian Humanists on Government and Society, ed. by Benjamin G. Kohl and Ronald G. Witt (Book Review).” The Modern Language Review 76.2 (1981): 485.
Kohl, Benjamin G., Elizabeth B. Welles, and Ronald G. Witt. The earthly republic: Italian humanists on government and society. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1978.
Seigel, Jerrold E. Rhetoric and Philosophy in Renaissance Humanism. Vol. 2337. Princeton University Press, 2015.
