The Renaissance was a period in the 14th and 15th centuries when society experienced a major shift in thinking. This infographic highlights the main ideas of humanism, a belief that became popular during this time. Humanists valued individualism, secularism, inspiration from classical works, education, and new inventions or discoveries.

I personally agree with individualism, as I believe it’s important to value people for their accomplishments rather than their social class or background. I’ve done some research online and found out that some kids are bullied at school because of things their parents did, which can lead to serious issues like depression and anxiety. Everyone is born with the right to control their own lives and should be free to make their own choices (although, of course, choices come with consequences if they’re unfair to others). Supporting education and encouraging new inventions is also essential, as both are key to making progress and staying open-minded. As a secularist, I only agree a littlewith the religious beliefs held by humanists. I don’t feel that a god needs to approve my choices or influence them, and I don’t follow any specific religion. However, like humanists, I appreciate different philosophies about life, such as Confucian ideas. For example, when I visited the Lama Temple last year, I took time to pray to the Buddhas, even though I’m not deeply involved in Buddhism. I respect the values and ideas, even if I don’t fully practice the religion. Lastly, I mostly agree that using ideas from classical thinkers can help us improve our own understanding, but we also need to question them. For instance, the geocentric theory, which said the Earth was the center of the universe, was eventually proven wrong by Galileo’s work with the telescope, showing that the Sun is actually at the center. This example proves that it’s important to question old ideas. When studying the ideas of ancient scholars, we shouldn’t just accept them automatically. Instead, we should question everything and make sure it makes sense to us before believing it.

Humanism was an “old and new” way of thinking, blending ancient ideas with new perspectives, which can still be helpful today. These ideas encourage innovation, open-mindedness, and personal growth, which are valuable for individuals in any time period. But no matter how much we might agree with humanist ideas, we should also remember the mindset of these revolutionary thinkers. They didn’t focus on wealth or fame; instead, they cared about creating a better future for everyone. Their goal was to make positive changes in society, and they were driven by a desire to improve the world.