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Chapter 3:. The Humanist Approach. The Middle Ages became known as “The Dark Ages” because life was not happy / easy for most Europeans Ancient Greece/Rome was seen as a place where most of the world was happy, and comfortable. The Renaissance called it “The Golden Age.”
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Chapter 3: The Humanist Approach
The Middle Ages became known as “The Dark Ages” because life was not happy / easy for most Europeans • Ancient Greece/Rome was seen as a place where most of the world was happy, and comfortable. The Renaissance called it “The Golden Age.” • People began to study the past, to see if they could change the world they live in
During the Renaissance, a group of people desired to develop their minds and talents by studying ancient Greece and Rome • These people became known as “Humanists” • In this case, change was created when the society had “contact” with the past Renaissance Ancient Greece = New Way of thinking (Isolation) (intercultural contact) = change
Humanism (borrowing from the Greeks and Romans) Mind/Body History Education “You should pray “To be ignorant of the “The educated differ for a sound mind lives of the most from the uneducated in a sound body.” celebrated men of as much as the living - Juvenal antiquity (Golden from the dead.” Age) in to continue - Aristotle in a state of childhood all our days.” - Plutarch
Who were these Philosophers and Thinkers from ancient Greece?
Plato(428/427 BC – 348/347 BC), • Created an Academy (school) in Athens, • Greece • Taught a way to question what we see as • “real” – or true • One of the world’s first scientists • His writings have been studied for approx. • 2,500 years • Most modern-day thinking is based on • things Plato spoke about
Aristotle384-322 B.C. • A student of Plato • Taught Alexander the Great • Wrote a lot about politics • Focused on how to logically think about • things • Developed the “Scientific Method” we use • today • Believed in a set of “Virtue Ethics” for • humans to live by
It’s all about “me”! • Humanists mainly taught people that individuals can shape their own lives using their effort and talents • Christianity said before that normal people aren’t smart enough to make their own decisions • Humanists said that people should develop and use their talents to serve God
Humanists taught: • Humans can use reason to find truth themselves • People need to have an open, curious, and questioning mind • People can achieve great things through learning • People should develop talents in many areas (both mind and body) “A healthy mind is a healthy body.”
Have you ever had a parent or teacher tell you that you can’t do something, and when you ask “Why?” they say “Because I said so?” • That is what the Church had done for centuries, and Humanists were tired of it
Thinkers and Society • Humanists were usually people who had a lot of power/control in society • Civic humanism – believed that being a citizen meant educating yourself about history and politics to improve your society
Education • Learning was extremely important for humanists (both body and mind) • Most of the topics studied were very close to those studied in ancient Greece
Religion • Although Humanists studied texts written before Christianity began, they were also still very religious • Page 68: Human Beings and the Earth
The Arts • Artists began to show the beauty of the naturalworld in their artwork Ex: the Mona Lisa is one of the world’s most famous paintings, but it is very plain • Patrons – people who paid artists to create works of art
Most Renaissance artwork began to look very similar to ancient Greek and Roman art • There were many paintings of portraits and landscapes
