The West learned many things from Arabian thinkers who had a much greater level of scientific success. Arabian astronomers invented instruments that used the stars to determine the absolute direction. They also made advance in chemistry and developed trigonometry and algebra (Chaddock 1). Many people during the Renaissance believed that science could explain the world better than any other way (Chaddock 2). Some humanist believed that after the Fall of Adam, God left the world incomplete and man had to restore his work.
They began the movement on the foundations that development and progress was integral to the evolution and survival of the arts. They found their inspiration form antiquity, creating realistic figures that portrayed personality and behavior. They focused on the laws of proportion for architecture, the human body, and space. The term Early Renaissance encompasses most 15th century art. The High Renaissance sought to create a generalized style of art that focused on drama, physical presence, and balance.
HUM 2249-46B Successes of the Enlightenment The Enlightenment was the time period in which the many cultural and social changes occurred due to the many thoughtful processes of reason and analysis. Not only that, but it promoted the scientific method, challenged ideas grounded in tradition, faith or superstition, and advocated the restructuring of governments and social institutions based on reason. Enlightenment philosophy also stressed that liberty and equality were natural human rights. Along with this, a unique twist of individualism rather than the traditional ways of thinking could be well-associated with the Age of Enlightenment. As a result, Jefferson, Montesquieu, Locke, and other members of the founding generation were deeply influenced by this 18th-century European intellectual movement.
Spinoza’s Ethics was , in essence, a treatise on “God, Man and His Well-Being,” the Ethics was an attempt to provide a fuller, clearer, and more systematic layout in “the geometric style” for his grand metaphysical and moral philosophical project (Nadler 15). In his work Spinoza took an objective look at the widely accepted theological ideas with a rational mind that was not an easy follower like the rest of the Continent. Spinoza’s seventeenth-century readership would have held a similar set of views, a combination of the Aristotelian principles that had been the basis of science and metaphysics for hundreds of years, and the philosophy of minds and bodies that had recently been proposed by Descartes. Spinoza’s readers were thoroughly familiar with certain Aristotelian principles, the most basic of which is the idea that the universe is made up of substances and their attributes (Lord 16). In the Ethics Spinoza attempts to provide a fuller, clearer, and more systematic layout in “the geometric style” for his grand metaphysical and moral philosophical project, he hoped to fulfill and expand upon Descartes own dream of maximum certainty in the sciences (Lord 16-17).
Looking at the Renaissance The word Renaissance was first used and defined by French historian Jules Michelet (1798–1874), in his 1855 work, Histoire de France, whose literal translation from French into English is "Rebirth. The Renaissance was the humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th century and later spread throughout Europe. It profoundly affected the European intellectual life in the early modern period and marked the transition from medieval to modern times. Beginning in Florence, Italy during the Late Middle Ages and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence was felt in literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, religion, and other aspects of intellectual inquiry. However, the changes were not uniformly experienced across Europe.
Renaissance humanists approached things differently. Renaissance and medieval writers differed greatly. Medieval writers accepted pagan and classical authors whereas Renaissance humanists were skeptical of their authority, and conscious of the historical distance seperating themselves from the ancients. Medieval writers looked to the classics to reveal God while Renaissance humanists studied the classics
Renaissance Education During the renaissance the values and purposes of education were transformed and challenged to an extent. The Renaissance occurred when Europe was just coming out of the dark ages. The Renaissance characterizes a time in European history when people began to have radical ideas about the value of the individual and education. The era was greatly influenced by classical themes of the Greco-Roman culture but it also gave birth to new ideas such as, humanism and individualism. These ideas came from a mixture of Christian ideals and classical philosophy.
Along with the Gods came tales of their exploits, so the Greeks began constructing patterns and archetypes that were essentially original and organic to the time; stories of creation, conception, and the failings of man. Put together, these formed an extensive mythology that included countless symbols, dates, and accounts, all with significant importance. This ancient Greek religion and the modern Christian church share many important symbols and stories. These similarities are often overlooked, due in part to the fact that the Bible, the Holy text of Christianity, is accepted among many as historical fact. In contrast, numerous tales and characters of classical Greek and Roman mythology are now thought of as merely humorous or outlandish.
It is based on previous ideas that have been passed down and adapted into new ones that pertain to the modern world. This is similar to how the Renaissance grew from the exploration of previous ideas from the Greeks and Romans. The word Renaissance itself even means “rebirth”. From classical ideas, Renaissance humanists began to shape themselves and society. One example is a Renaissance writer Leonardo Bruni who took the idea of civilians taking part in government to develop civic humanism.
Other areas of education began to expand as well such as gymnasiums in Germany and grammar schools in England. Combined with the growth of the printed word and the expansion of curriculum, education began to reform as well. One of the earliest reformers was Martin Luther, who proposed home, state, and church responsibility for education as well as the extension of elementary education to young girls. Another reformer, John Calvin, developed Latin preparatory high schools that featured a modified system of gymnasiums. Calvin also built a university in Geneva in 1559 that prepared young scholars for the ministry or civil service.