Italian Renaissance Humanism example essay topic

Explain the ways in which Italian Renaissance humanism transformed ideas about the individual's role in society. Of all the practices during the European renaissance, nothing is used to distinguish the renaissance from the middle ages more than humanism as both a program and philosophy. Textbooks will tell you humanists of the renaissance rediscovered the Latin and Greek classics, that humanist philosophy stressed the dignity of humanity, and that humanists shifted intellectual emphasis off of theology and logic to specifically human studies. In pursuing this program, individualism, secularism, and a better education arose.

Individualism stressed personality, uniqueness, genius, and full development of one's capabilities and talents. Poverty had been greatly respected, at least in Christian doctrine. However, voices were heard in praise of a proper enjoyment of wealth now. In the past, men admired a life of contemplation, or meditative withdrawal. Now Leonardo Bruni could write, "The whole glory of man lies in activity". Virtue now came into play, too.

"A man of virtue, in the arts, in war, or in statecraft, was a man who knew what he was doing, who from resources within himself, made the best use of his opportunities, hewing his way through the world, and excelling in all that he did". Last, but not least, art went through a major transformation during the Italian renaissance. Paintings, sculptures, and architecture reflected a new sense of reality and a new sense of space. Reality meant visible and tangible people and objects rather than Godly things - such as angels. Secularism involves a basic concern with what is going on around people rather than with the eternal world of spirit.

Renaissance people often held strong and deep spiritual interests, but in their increasingly secular society, attention was concentrated on the here and now. Petrarch wrote sonnets in Italian, an epic in Latin, an introspective study of himself, and a great many letters which he clearly mean to be literary productions. Petrarch's literature was a consideration of moral philosophy, still related but no longer subordinate to religion. He rose questions of "how human beings should adjust to the world, what a good life could be or ought to be, or where the genuine and ultimate rewards of living were to be found". Among Petrarch was Florentine Boccaccio. The tales in The Decameron described human character and behavior.

Lorenzo Valla's On the False Donation of Constantine demonstrates by careful textual examination that an anonymous "eighteen century document supposedly giving the papacy jurisdiction over vast territories in western Europe was a forgery". Medieval people had accepted the Donation of Constantine as a reality, and the proof that it was not real "weakened the papal claims to temporal authority". Education altered during the Italian renaissance, too. Humanism put an emphasis on the classics, and people were trained to read and understand both Greek and Latin.

Individuals studied a variety of subjects, such as mathematics, history, rhetoric, and arts. Education was no longer limited to one subject in one classroom. The new education system led to a new type of individual. Unlike the Guilds of the Middle Ages, people were no longer content to remain confined to one specific trade.

People became trained in all fields of study. This helped to develop a class of individuals who valued education and art. Many of the Italian artists gained their value of art from the classical training. Overall, humanism contributed to the new conception of "man" and his place in the world. People became more open-minded and respectful. They learned of proper etiquette and became more aware of what was going on around them.

Italian humanism connected these ideas in writing and presented them to the developing individual.