7
02.Humanism
a.Humanism is the essence of the Renaissance. It sprang from the endeavor to restore a medieval reverence for ancient authors. Humanism is frequently taken as the beginning of the Renaissance on its conscious, intellectual side, for the Greek and Roman civilization was based on the conception that man is the measure of all things.
b.Through the new learning, humanists not only saw the arts of splendor and enlightenment, but the human values represented in the works. Renaissance humanists found in the classics a justification for exalting human nature and came to see that human beings were glorious creatures capable of individual development in the direction of perfection and that the world they inhabited was theirs not to despise but to question, explore and enjoy.
c.Humanism stresses human values, dignity, ambitions, and the present life rather than the afterlife. Pursuing knowledge, power, beauty, and wealth/money are all the primary Renaissance elements.Humanism appeared in England in the 15th century, with Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare being the English humanists' best representatives.
