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HUMANISM AND KNOWLEDGE - Coggle Diagram
HUMANISM AND KNOWLEDGE
HUMANISM
Humanism was a cultural movement that began in the 14th century. It developed fully in the 15th and 16th centuries, in the rich city-states of the northern part of the Italian Peninsula. These city-states had a flourishing economy and a rich artistic heritage.
THE REVIVAL OF ANTIQUITY 
The humanist scholars Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio studied antiquity. They revised classical thinking in order to make it compatible with Christian values
ANTHROPOCENTRISM
Humans were at the centre of historical events. Compared to medieval ways of thinking, Humanism was an individualist movement. Humans were considered capable of making decisions using reason and intelligence.
THE LOVE OF KNOWLEDGE
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Humanists were experts in various fields. Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, but he also studied anatomy, botany and mechanics.
Humanists believed that a person’s prestige not only depended on their wealth and power, but also on their education.
ERASMUS OF ROTTERDAM
Erasmus of Rotterdam was born in the Netherlands. He criticised the vices of society, especially those at the heart of the Church. He called for reform based on an individual’s freedom of choice..
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SIR THOMAS MORE
Sir Thomas More was an important English lawyer and author. He defended the right of the individual conscience against the power of the state. In his book Utopia, he described a society based on egalitarian principles, where there was no private property, and the government was elected democratically.
CARDINAL CISNEROS
Cardinal Cisneros set up the University of Alcalá de Henares as a centre of theology, a study revived by the humanists.
Due to his influence, Humanism had a clear Christian character in Castilla.
THE SPREAD OF KNOWLEDGE
Humanist ideas and knowledge spread more rapidly in the Modern Age than in the Middle Ages, when knowledge was spread through books written by hand, mostly by clergymen in monasteries.
THE PRINTING PRESS
Around 1440, Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press. Books could be produced more easily and ideas spread more quickly. It improved literacy, and intellectual life was no longer restricted to monasteries and universities. Gutenberg’s printing press worked as follows:
GEOGRAPHY
During this period, it was established that the Earth was spherical
Modern cartography also began. Maps were created based on the world map drawn by Gerardus Mercator, in 1569. Mercator’s map showed all the lands discovered up until that date. Straight lines called parallels and meridians were used to locate any point in the world.
MEDICINE
Although there was widespread opposition to clinical trials, the following advances were made:
the treaty of anatomy by Vesalius, who was born in Flanders
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In the 17th century, the microscope was invented, leading to advances in clinical and medical research.
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
During the Renaissance, thinkers and academics became interested in understanding the world that surrounded them, and the natural processes that occurred in it. They revived the scientific method used in Ancient Greece and Rome, where the study of nature was based on observation and experimentation.
The aim was to find a well-reasoned explanation for natural phenomena and provide empirical evidence, evidence gained through observation, experience and experimentation. However, many of the advances were not popular with some societies that were still very traditional. Religious leaders and even some politicians were opposed to those advances.
ASTRONOMY
In the 16th century, Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus developed the heliocentric theory, which claimed that the Earth and all the other planets orbited the Sun. This theory contradicted the geocentric theory developed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century,
In the 17th century, Tuscan physicist Galileo Galilei proved Copernicus’ theory using a new invention, the telescope. However, Galileo was condemned by the Church, which did not accept the empirical evidence he provided.
HELIOCENTRIC THEORY
GEOCENTRIC THEORY
THE NORTHERN PART OF THE ITALIAN PENINSULA IN THE MID-15TH CENTURY
Humanists developed an anthropocentric world view as an alternative to the God-centred world view of medieval Christians. Humans and their intelligence became the main concerns of the humanists, although they were still devoted to the Christian faith. The main characteristics of Humanism are:
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