Am I a Renaissance Humanist?? by Caitlin Zhang [STUDENT]
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Let’s start with two questions…
First, are you a Renaissance humanist?
and second,
What about me? Am I a Renaissance humanist???
Now, it would be quite difficult to answer both questions if you have completely no idea about the concept of humanism.
What exactly is humanism? And, how does it tie up with the Renaissance?
To understand the concept, some background information must first be learned. The Renaissance was a period of time after the Middle Ages when literature and art slowly revived from the devastating times of the medieval period. As the arts developed, a philosophical idea and movement of “humanism” appeared. Similar to what I stated above in the infographic/poster, humanism is a philosophy that centers around human interests and the capabilities of man. This philosophy consists of distinctive elements that emphasize the humanists’ beliefs.
One of the most important elements in the realm of humanism is the concept of individualism. The Renaissance humanists believed that people should not be stuck in the typical constraints of religion and class and that they have the ability to control their own lives. However, this belief contrasts with the Catholic Church, for the Catholic Church often taught citizens and man to follow God’s teachings, and that they should never question God’s will. Since humanists often emphasize the importance of asking probing questions, this ideology of the Catholic Church conflicts with their beliefs. This is a reason that most people try to balance religious beliefs and daily life.
My rating of importance for this element on the infographic is 5 out of 5, though this is only my assumption of how significant it was during that period, as I would rate it a bit lower if the rating were focused on me. This is because I believe that I already implemented most of the ideas in this section into my daily life. For example, I believe that people have unlimited potential and they should always be open to a curious mind, but since I have no specific religion to believe in, the balance between religion and real life doesn’t really affect me. However, I especially recognize the remarkable point of possessing a curious and questioning mind; I quote from “Sophie’s World” by Jostein Gaarder, “We who live here are microscopic insects existing deep down in the rabbit’s fur. But philosophers are always trying to climb up the fine hairs of the fur in order to stare right into the magician’s eyes” (Joestein 16). This implies the significance of being open-minded and not being “stuck in the rabbit’s fur”, and I agree with it entirely.
Another component of humanism that relates to religion is the concept of secularism. Because humanists started to question some of the beliefs of the Catholic Church, people’s core mindset began to shift, and the Catholic Church became not as dominating as it was in the Middle Ages. Secularism refers to the separation of religion and government, and as the philosophy of humanism became prevalent, the traditional society of the church being the most authoritative figure slowly shifted away. I agree with this element, as I believe that religion should not be the dominating power and govern the society.
Education and knowledge in the Renaissance period is undoubtedly another key component of humanism. The humanists renewed classical texts and discovered ideas from ancient and classical cultures such as the Greek and Roman. On top of imitating the beliefs from the past, the Renaissance humanists also made an effort to improve and develop. The humanists studied a wide variety of subjects and created a fundamental base for the future of knowledge.
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Now let’s consider the two questions again…
I indeed consider myself a 90 percent of humanist.
What about you?