08 HUMANISM AND THE RENAISSANCE 01. HUMANISM AND KNOWLEDGE
HUMANISM
was a cultural movement that began in the 14th century.
developed fully in the 15th and 16th centuries
ANTHROPOCENTRISM
THE REVIVAL OF ANTIQUITY
THE LOVE OF KNOWLEDGE
were at the centre of historical events
Humanists believed that a person’s prestige not only depended on their wealth and power, but also on their education.
revised classical thinking in order to make it compatible with Christian values
THE NORTHERN PART OF THE ITALIAN PENINSULA IN THE MID-15TH CENTURY
developed an anthropocentric world view as an alternative to the God-centred world view of medieval Christians
Humanist artists and thinkers were supported by PATRONS
These people sponsored cultural and artistic activities, thanks to their power and wealth
humanists created academies
THE PRINTING PRESS
Other important humanists from outside Florence were:
ERASMUS OF ROTTERDAM
He criticised the vices of society, especially those at the heart of the Church
SIR THOMAS MORE
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
set up the University of Alcalá de Henares as a centre of theology, a study revived by the humanists.
Around 1440
Johannes Gutenberg invented
movable-type printing press.
Books could be produced more easily
ideas spread more quickly
It improved literacy, and intellectual life was no longer restricted to monasteries and universities
ASTRONOMY
MEDICINE
GEOGRAPHY
In the 16th
Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus developed the heliocentric theory
This theory contradicted the geocentric theory developed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century, which claimed that the Earth was the immobile centre of the Universe, and all other celestial bodies orbited around it.
In the 17th century
Galileo Galilei
telescope
the treaty of anatomy by Vesalius, who was born in Flanders
the theory of pulmonary circulation of blood by Miguel Servet
the development of pharmacology by Swiss physician Paracelsus.
In the 17th century, the microscope was invented, leading to advances in clinical and medical research.
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