How Humanism Helped Spur The Renaissance

How Humanism Helped Spur The Renaissance.

The meaning of the term humanism has evolved since the mediaeval Italian period to the present-day age. The origins of humanism can be traced back to the events that occurred in the period covering the 14^th and 15^th century in Italy. It developed as a form of scholasticism which emphasized practical, scientific and pre-professional studies that would prepare students to be professional theologians, doctors, lecturers and lawyers. It therefore utilized standard approved textbooks to teach theology, logic, jurisprudence, medicine and philosophy. Its basic aim was to create an informed, literate and knowledgeable citizenry who could communicate eloquently and therefore be able to prudently and virtuously engage in their civic duties. Moreover, a literate population would also be able advance the society technologically, culturally and intellectually. According to these early humanists, such an aim could only be achieved through the studies of humanities (Hankins 31). Thus, it can be deduced that the acquisition of humanistic knowledge strengthened the intellectual, cultural and scientific foundation of renaissance.

The term humanism was used in 1856 by Georg Voigt, a German philologist and historian, to describe attempts by various Italian scholastic movements to revive classical pre-Christian Greek and Latin knowledge. The term humanist is a derivative of the mediaeval Italian word umanista which was used to describe a sage of classical Latin and Greek knowledge and its associated ethical philosophy and humanities. German adherents of Hegelian philosophy and French revolutionaries began to associate humanism with a set of moral philosophies that focused on humankind without any reference to divinity or divine providence. During the 1930s, humanism came to be associated with the notions of secularism and philosophical naturalism. According to the 1933 Humanist Manifesto, humanism espouses a moral ideology that favors reason, justice and ethics rather than transcendental religious ideas. Therefore, humanism can be defined as a set of philosophies and ethical principles that values the human agencies of rationalism and empiricism rather than fideism. Humanism thus merged scholasticism with philosophy (Hankins 32).

Humanism in its infancy can be considered as a continuation of middle age traditions with the only difference being that humanism broadened the scope of learning and also increased the content and significance of existing knowledge. Its main initial focus in Studia humanitatis did exclude the study of logic but it did include the study of grammar, rhetoric, Greek philosophy, history, moral philosophy and poetry. Its focus in reviving the cultural, literary and philosophical legacy of classical antiquity transformed humanism from a scholastic movement of sages to a ubiquitous cultural mode of the elites (Patrick 18).

Humanism preceded renaissance, and as such it did contribute to the emergence of renaissance as is described below. The earliest documentation of a human-centered philosophical system that rejected the concept of the divine was the Lokayata philosophical system which developed in India at around 1500BCE. This system considered the belief in a supernatural deity as absurd, and its emphasis was on the acquisition of practical knowledge that could improve the faculties of logic, reason and justice. This philosophical system was incorporated into ancient Greek knowledge after a process of syncretism occurred between the two cultures during the invasion of India by Alexander the Great. Another ancient organized humanist philosophical system was the Zarathustra’s Gathas which were composed around 1000BCE in Persia. It espoused the idea that human beings are creatures endowed with the faculty of reason and thought and as such they ought to dignify themselves by using their intellect to make their choices. However, the Gathas did acknowledge that the intellect was endowed to a human being by Ahura Mazda (Supreme Wisdom), a non-intervening God. The Gathas postulated an ethical system whereby an individual is responsible for the consequences of his choices. The Gathas did later have a particular appeal to European humanist thinkers due to its emphasis on responsibility, thought and action, and also its conception of a non-intervening divine being. The Huangdi of 600BCE is considered as the primogenitor of Chinese humanism which was to be epitomized by Confucianism. Confucianism did espouse a set of moral and ethical philosophies whose basis was human values devoid of divine authority. Some of the concepts of Confucianism were carried into Italy by traders during the renaissance, and it contributed to the development of renaissance natural philosophy. Moreover, humanism led to the acceptance and adoption of various Chinese technologies such as the printing press and gunpowder. During the dark ages, such adoption of technology from people who had atheistic and/or polytheistic beliefs would have been prohibited by the church. Adoption of the printing press, and further innovations made to enhance its efficiency led to mass publication of books, and this led to increased rates of literacy in Italy thus providing the intellectual engine upon which renaissance developed and progressed. Thus, humanism led to the technological advancement during the renaissance period (Parkinson 17).

The earliest humanists of ancient Greece were Thales and Xenophanes who lived around 600BCE in Ionia. The conceived the notion that human reason should be used to understand the world. Another Ionian Greek, Anaxagoras introduced the concept of philosophy and rational inquiry into the early Greek humanism. Anaxagoras’ concept did influence other Greek philosophers such as Democritus and Protagoras. Democritus proposed that atoms were the basic building blocks of matter; a fact that would be studied extensively by renaissance scientists and philosophers. Democritus proposal thus contributed to the development of renaissance science and philosophy. Protagoras proposal that man encompasses the ultimate measure of everything was further expounded upon by renaissance philosophers into various humanistic philosophies. The philosophies of these early Greek philosophers laid the foundation for the two pre-eminent Greek philosophers: Aristotle and Plato. Thucydides also built his philosophical doctrines of logic, science and history upon the groundwork laid by these early Greek philosophers. In 300BCE, Epicurus concisely phrased the concepts that would later on be known as theodicy, atheism and humanism. Moreover, the Epicurian school of thought did admit women into its rank (Hankin 112).

Medieval Islamic thinkers studied scientific, humanistic and rational discourses during their pursuit of knowledge and moral values. These discourses did influence the medieval Islamic theology and it opened up Islamic thought to the concepts of individualism, skepticism, liberalism and instances of sporadic secularism. These concepts would later find their way into Christian theology after the translation of Islamic works into Latin by the church. This would lead to an interaction between humanism and the official church doctrine. These medieval Islamic thinkers did bear their influence to the reigning Muslim rulers to enact laws that would provide their subject with freedom of expression and freedom of thought in order to cultivate a healthy scholastic environment within their dominions. This led to a proliferation of numerous schools of thoughts which espoused the values of humanism and scientific inquiry. The endeavors and achievement of these schools lead the Islamic world to experience their golden age of innovations, inventions and political power when Europe was wallowing under the dark ages. Certain aspects of medieval Islamic scholarship such as the art of dictation, and humanistic approach to classical language did contribute to the emergence of renaissance humanism; due to the fact that they laid the foundation for studying ancient classical literature (Leaman 122).

Francesco Petrarca (commonly known as Petrarch) is usually considered as the founder of renaissance humanism. He was a collector of antique Greek and Roman manuscripts and he coined the term “Age of Darkness” to describe the period in Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the renaissance period. Petrach introduced the notion that the problems affecting Italy during his time could only be solved if his contemporaneous scholars studied the works of exemplary classical authors and also imitated their way of life. Petrach considered Cicero as his greatest classical author whose prose could form the basic archetype for both Latin and Italian prose. Petrach considered mastery of grammar as a prerequisite for attainment of rhetorical eloquence which could be subsequently used to convey both old and novel philosophical ideas (Hankins 323).

During the period covering 1369 – 1444 CE, the study of humanism was considered to encompass the following five subjects: history, grammar, poetry, rhetoric and moral philosophy. According to the medieval Italian humanists, the study of these subjects enabled the learner to develop skills of analytical and critical reasoning, thereby liberating him or her from the bondage of ignorance and illogical clerical dictates. This led to a conflict between humanism and the Catholic Church as is described below (Parkinson 40).

The basic tenet of medieval humanism was that it never considered piousness as a motivation for conducting scientific studies, learning literature and creating arts. The humanists were secular in outlook, only concerning themselves with materialistic themes and avoiding any religious theme altogether. As such, these medieval humanists argued for the advancement of science, arts and literature instead of religious observation, and their prolific arguments enticed the population to have a materialistic outlook which was at odds with the established Christian doctrines. The church authorities started to consider humanist writers as a disruptive force in the collective Christian soul of Italy. The church view was informed by the fact that humanists glorified man as a being of unlimited potential who possessed a measure of everything in the world, and as such humanity must never subject itself to restrictions espoused by religious figures. Moreover, the values espoused by humanism of education and literacy did end the dominance of the church on written history, as literate humanists secularized the historical accounts documented by the church. Moreover, the emphasis placed by humanism on secular education as a means of unleashing the dormant potential of an individual lead to the inception of studies such as astronomy and music which were previously highly regulated by the church authorities. Thus, the control exercised by the church on education was destroyed by secular education. Furthermore, the humanist concept of a well-rounded man accomplished in physical endeavors and proficient in intellectual fields did appeal to the masses and this lead to young people abandoning religious studies in order to involve themselves in the study of scientific, philosophical and other studies that were considered to be secular by the church. This led the church to lose some of its brightest minds to secular professions thus causing upheavals within the church as the successors to the papal throne lacked sufficient knowledge in managing the affairs of the church. In addition, the humanist understood human nature from the perspectives of classical non-Christian authors such as Aristotle, Epicurus and Plato and their promotion of values espoused by such classical writers went against the church doctrine which viewed such classical writers as pagans who espoused ideas that were contrary to the laws and wishes of God. Likewise, promotion of agnosticism, nontheistic and atheistic teachings by the humanists was viewed by the church as the ultimate affront against God, humanity and society in addition to damning the soul of the believer to eternal punishment in the afterlife. Additionally, the church had made Latin the official church language and the medium of communication between the educated elites but the humanists challenged this precept by writing their works in both Latin and their respective vernacular language (Hankins 242).

Prominent Italian humanist that made major contributions to renaissance are described hereafter. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was a humanist who hailed from Florence and he promoted the idea that the accomplishments of man are bound by no limits. He thus encouraged creativity among the educated, and his ideas led to the emergence of spectacular arts that characterized the renaissance period. Francesco Petrarca popularized the works of Cicero, Virgil and Homer in Western Europe. He also led a group of individuals called Civic Humanists who drew their inspiration concerning the ultimate form of government from ancient Greek governments. Such civic humanists laid down the foundation for democratic forms of government that characterized several Italian city states during the renaissance period. Leonardo Bruni was a humanist historian who popularized the works of Cicero and also encouraged his fellow citizens to be actively involved in the cultural and political life of their states. He thus laid down the foundation for civic participation in the affairs of city states during the renaissance period. Giovanni Boccaccio was a literary humanist who wrote an exemplary piece of literary prose that led to the emergence of renaissance prose. Baldassare Castiglione was a literary humanist who espoused the virtues of an ideal renaissance man in his masterpiece work, The Courtier. His works thus contributed to the development of renaissance culture as most men in his time strived to achieve the status of the ideal man (Parkinson 50).

In conclusion, acquisition of humanistic knowledge strengthened the intellectual, cultural and scientific foundation of renaissance. This can be adduced from the contributions made by prominent Italian humanist to the course of renaissance. Giovanni Pico della promoted the idea that the accomplishments of man are bound by no limits and this encouraged creativity among the educated which ultimately led to the emergence of spectacular arts that characterized the renaissance period. Francesco Petrarca works led to the forming of Civic Humanist groups. The works of Leonardo Bruni laid down the foundation for civic participation in the affairs of city state. Moreover humanism led to the emergence of renaissance prose and the development of renaissance culture.

Works Cited.

Hankins, James. The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print.

Leaman, Oliver. An Introduction to Medieval Islamic Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.

Mann, William. The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Religion. Victoria: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Print.

Parkinson, George. Routledge History of Philosophy Volume IV: The Renaissance and Seventeenth Century Rationalism. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2003. Print.