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The Church leaves, the man enters
Humanism is a social, economic, and cultural movement that modified several patterns of the Middle Ages. In it, theocentrism gave way to anthropocentrism, that is, the human being and the human condition came to dominate European thought, distancing itself from the Church.
In the sciences, humanistic thought defeated the dogmas and precepts of the Church and brought relevant progress in areas such as physics, mathematics, engineering, and medicine. The movement was so intense that science began to be developed to support anthropocentric hypotheses, as well as arts and literature. The religious domain began to weaken and, with that, the focus on the human being strengthened.
The main conflict in the late Middle Ages
Anthropocentrism comes from the Greek anthropos (human) and kontron (center), as well as theocentrism theo (God) and kentron (center). The anthropocentric view argues that the world, as well as everything in it, is for the greater benefit of human beings. His doctrine frees man from the divine figure, which for many centuries was predominant in the entire world. In anthropocentrism – a “science of man” – human beings are responsible for all their actions, be they cultural, social, philosophical, or historical.
Copernican heliocentrism and humanism are the main hallmarks of anthropocentrism. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543) claimed that the Earth revolved around the Sun and not the other way around, as was thought in the Middle Ages. Copernicus' theory was a total opposition to the geocentric advocated by the Catholic Church at that time.
The transition process from theocentrism to anthropocentrism began between the 15th and 16th centuries, with the emergence of renaissance humanism and other movements led by philosophers, scholars, and artists. This transition brought about several social changes, such as the replacement of the feudalist model by mercantile capitalism, the beginning of the great navigations and the passage from the Middle Age to the Modern Age.
Humanism in the arts
The intellectuals and artists of humanism worked on themes that were related to the human figure, inspired by the classics of Greco-Roman antiquity as models of truth, beauty, and perfection. The sculptures and paintings showed extremely high degrees of detail in facial expressions and human proportions. This period was marked by the development of various artistic techniques. In the plastic arts and medicine, humanism was represented in works and studies on anatomy and the functioning of the human body.
With the renaissance, few people wanted to have works that represented the strength and power of the Church and the monarchy. The artists' basic assumption was the use of art as a vehicle for social criticism, highlighting common themes among the population. Consequently, the literary works and the great paintings and sculptures had renaissance traits and demarcated humanist ideals.
Secular Humanism
Secular humanism is a philosophical current that addresses social justice, human reason, and ethics. Followers of naturalism, secular humanists are usually atheists or agnostics, denying religious doctrine, pseudoscience, superstition, and the concept of the supernatural. For them, these areas are not seen as the foundation of morality and decision-making.
Secular humanists are based on reason, science, learning through historical accounts and personal experience, ethical and moral supports that give meaning to life.
Humanism and Renaissance
The historical context of humanism is intertwined with that of the renaissance, given that it was humanist thought that established the ideological foundations that served as the basis for the renaissance movement.
Between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, humanism determined a new attitude towards the religious doctrines in force at the time, proposing a departure from them and a more rational and anthropocentric interpretation of the world.
During the Renaissance, humanist thought was also characterized by attempts to free the human being from the rigid rules of medieval-era Christianity. In a broad sense, humanism at this time served as a struggle against medieval obscurity and led to the creation of scientific behavior free from theological norms.
The renaissance and its ability to change the world
There is no way to talk about Humanism without talking about the Renaissance, a movement of artistic, literary, and scientific reform that originated in Italy in the 14th century and spread across Europe until the 16th century.
For some authors, the renaissance was a movement that broke with the "cultural and intellectual darkness" of the Middle Ages. Others believe that it was a movement of separation of many philosophies of the medieval period, in opposition to those who affirm that it was a movement of continuity and that, so it is inevitably related to the Middle Ages.
Artists of the time valued Greco-Roman culture. They considered that the Greeks and Romans had a complete and human view of nature, unlike medieval men. Moreover, because of that, the most valued qualities in human beings at the time were intelligence, knowledge, and artistic gifts.
The renaissance paved the way for the development of various artistic styles and philosophical currents. Some developed in accordance with renaissance values, while others defined themselves by distance, such as the baroque, characterized by the exaggeration of embellishments and grandeur, as opposed to the simplicity of the renaissance.
Cultural renaissance
For art, the renaissance meant the creation of new genres of painting and sculpture, to respond to the new tastes of society at the time. The first manifestations in the artistic field emerged in Florence, Italy. Several architectural works were built that remain to this day. In painting, Giotto was one of the first to follow this trend.
The most important names were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello and Rafaello, with several world-renowned works of art.
Renaissance in literature
Philosophy and Literature during the renaissance were strongly marked by humanist strands, which placed man in the spotlight in all areas.
Some of the best-known literary figures during the renaissance were Miguel de Cervantes (Spanish who made the connection between the renaissance and the baroque), François Rabelais (France) and Luís de Camões (Portugal).
Scientific renaissance
The renaissance was also marked by important scientific discoveries, especially in the areas of astronomy, physics, medicine, mathematics, and geography. The Polish Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543) made one of the discoveries of the time when he contested the geocentric theory that the Earth is not the center of the universe, but that it is simply a planet that revolves around the Sun.
Galileo Galilei also stood out as an important scientist of the time, when he discovered the rings of Saturn, the sunspots, and the satellites of Jupiter, but the Church persecuted and threatened him who was forced to vehemently deny his discoveries. In medicine, knowledge advanced with work and experiments on blood circulation, cauterization processes and advances in anatomy.
Commercial and urban renaissance
The commercial and urban renaissance took place in the Middle Ages, especially in some cities in Italy, and consisted of a set of factors that created new models of thinking and marketing products. The sale of these goods was also responsible for the development of urban centers that often-organized trade fairs.
When soldiers returned from expeditions, they often sold the spoils of war. Thus, merchants and a new social class emerged, the bourgeoisie. These rich merchants, known as patrons, began to invest in the arts, which increased the artistic and cultural development of the region. For this reason, Italy is known as the birthplace of the renaissance.
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