What is humanism in the understanding of the sages of antiquity and Renaissance philosophers

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Humanism is a special type of philosophical worldview, which is based on the idea of the highest value of a person; for a humanist philosopher, the human person is the center of the world, the measure of all things, the crown of God's creation.

Humanism in philosophy begins to take shape in the era of antiquity, we find its first definitions in the works of Aristotle and Democritus.

Humanism in the ancient tradition

What is humanism in the understanding of ancient sages? In the understanding of the philosophers of antiquity, this is the highest degree of development and flowering of the best capabilities and abilities of a person. The individual must strive for self-fulfillment, self-education; the personality must be harmonious, ethically and aesthetically perfect.

In the Middle Ages, the ideas of humanism faded into the background, were overshadowed by the gloomy theories of religious asceticism, the killing of natural aspirations and needs for any person. The following began to be considered the main virtues: self-restraint, humility, conviction in the original sinfulness of a human being.

Ideas and philosophical theories of the ancient era were for a long timeforgotten, the philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome were declared to be misguided pagans.

Renaissance humanism

Interest in the heritage of antiquity increased noticeably only during the Renaissance. The influence of the church on the life of society significantly decreased, science and art ceased to be purely theological, more free, non-theological philosophical theories and teachings appeared. Preservation, systematization and study of the works of philosophers and scientists of antiquity has become the main task of the humanists of modern times. It became obligatory for them to study the languages of antiquity - Latin and Ancient Greek.

In the awareness of the Renaissance philosophers about what humanism is, there was a share of originality and originality. The humanism of the Renaissance is original and unique. It was at that time that the importance of humanitarian knowledge became recognized by all; universal values (attention and respect for the feelings and needs of a person, compassion, empathy) were no less significant than, for example, religiosity, observance of church requirements and rituals.

The origins of Renaissance humanism lie in the scientific works and works of art of the great Italians - Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarch. Thanks to the general atmosphere of freedom, the worship of beauty, the attraction to new forms in art, the existence of a great phenomenon became possible - a brief period of the High Renaissance (1500-1530). It was at this time that the greatest works of art were created by the geniuses of the Renaissance (Raphael Santi, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo).

Over time, Renaissance humanism spread tonorthern regions of Europe. It should be noted that the Northern Renaissance, unlike the Italian, was closer to the religious tradition. The main idea of Christian humanists is the improvement of man as the main condition for salvation. Let us analyze what humanism is in the understanding of a religious philosopher. Only by following God's commandments, observing all the requirements of religion and sacred books, a person can be cleansed, get closer to the ideals of goodness, beauty, harmony. The ideas of theistic humanism manifested themselves most clearly in the works of Erasmus of Rotterdam and Willibald Pirckheimer.

Modern philosophers also give their answer to the question of what humanism is. The traditions of Renaissance humanism still do not give up their positions in the latest philosophy of Western Europe. Faith in the strength of man, reverent admiration for the omnipotence, omnipotence of the individual, optimistic conviction in the possibility of improving society - all this makes humanism the most progressive and productive trend in modern philosophy.