The Renaissance and Humanism

The Renaissance The Renaissance (~1300-1600) was also known as the rebirth. It was Western Europe rediscovering Greek and Roman ideas lost after the fall of Rome. There were a number of factors that allowed the Renaissance to occur how and when it did.

Causes of the Renaissance Increased technology and specialized labor due to the emergence of guilds. Increased urbanization and growth of the middle class due to the emergence of the money economy. Decreased focus on religion and the afterlife. This spawned two major movements: The Renaissance in the arts and Humanism in thought.

Humanism Humanist scholars sought to learn about worldly subjects rather than religious ones. Humanists used Greek and Roman texts to learn about their own times. Humanists stressed logic and reason over emotional responses.

Effects of the Renaissance Focusing on the world led people to challenge the dogmatism of the Catholic Church. New ideas about religion led to the Protestant Reformation.

Effects of the Renaissance Focusing on logic and reason led people to think about the natural world in a different way. New ideas about the natural world led to the Scientific Revolution.

The Reformation In 1517, a German named Martin Luther wrote a list of arguments, called the 95 Theses, which criticized the Catholic Church. Among other arguments, Luther was angry about the Church selling indulgences.

The Reformation According the Catholic Church, indulgences allowed sinners to buy their way into heaven. Others, like the French priest John Calvin and English king Henry VIII, followed the Lutherans and broke with the Catholic Church.

The Scientific Revolution In 1543, Polish scholar Nicolaus Copernicus concluded, based on his observations, that the sun was the center of the universe, not the Earth. Others, like Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and Italian scientist Galileo Galilei, found evidence to support Copernicus’ claims.

The Scientific Revolution These heliocentric, or sun-centered world, theories contradicted the Bible and were rejected by the Church, but were nevertheless true. Over the next 100 or so years, individuals like Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Rene Descartes, helped create a reliable method for scientific experimentation.