Literary Humanism is a devotion to the humanities or literary culture.
The spirit of learning at the end of the middle ages isĀ Renaissance Humanism which developed with the resurgence of classical letters and a renewed confidence in the ability of the human to determine truth and lie for themselves.
Image source:https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/d256a353-9edb-4217-83e8-df0b8122631b
The time when the term “Humanism” was first adopted is unknown. It is, however, certain that both Italy and the re-adopting of Latin letters as the staple of human culture were responsible for the name “Humanists.”
Defining Humanism
Put simply, the word humanist has come to mean someone who:
- Relies on theĀ scientific methodĀ when it comes to understanding how the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural (therefore atheist or agnostic);
- Makes its own ethical decisions based onĀ reason,Ā empathy, and a concern forĀ humanĀ beingsĀ and other sentient animals;
- Believes that, in the absence of an afterlife, human beings can act to make sense of their lives by seeking happiness and helping others to do the same.
Renaissance Humanism
Humanism is the term generally applied to theĀ predominant social philosophy and the intellectual and literary currents of the period from 1400toĀ 1650. The philosophy of secularism, the appreciation of worldly pleasures, and the affirmation of personal independence and individual expression were stimulated by the return in favor of the pagan classics.
The interest in worldly pleasures has been generated by the expansion ofĀ commerce, the growth ofĀ prosperity andĀ luxury, and the expansion ofĀ socialĀ contacts, despite formal fidelity toĀ asceticĀ ChristianĀ doctrine. HumanistsĀ welcomed classical writers who revealed similar social values andĀ secularĀ attitudes.
The humanist mentality was halfway betweenĀ medieval supernaturalismĀ and theĀ modern scientific and critical attitude. Renaissance man may have found himself suspended betweenĀ faithĀ andĀ reason.
Image sources: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/8f8d877b-53f7-4722-b34c-2b80e20d418c
Secular andĀ human interests became more important as the hold of medieval supernaturalism began to wane.
The present world has become an end in itself rather than began the preparation for a world to come. The distinction between this world and the other with the advancement of the age of Renaissance humanism tended to disappear.
Humanism was fundamentally anĀ aesthetic movement.Ā HumanĀ experience, the man himself, tended to become the practical measure of all things. The ideal life was fullĀ participationĀ in rich and varied humanĀ relationships.
The dominating element in the finest classical culture was aesthetic rather than supernatural or scientific.
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/243b508b-03f7-45a9-8151-bfeb3283f829
Humanistic contributions to science consisted of theĀ recoveryĀ ofĀ Greek scientific literatureĀ which showed a more accurate and acceptable body of facts and ideas than most medieval scientific works.
The intellectuals of antiquity were disinterested in the supernatural world and the eternal destiny of the soul was instead interested in a happy,Ā adequate, andĀ efficientĀ lifeĀ here on earth.Ā Hellenic philosophy was designed to teach a man how to live successfully rather than how to die with the certainty of final salvation.
The period from theĀ 14thĀ century to theĀ 17thĀ worked in favor of the generalĀ emancipationĀ of the individual. The city-states of northern Italy had come into contact with the different customs of the East and allowed themselves to express themselves in matters of taste and clothing. Danteās writings, and particularly the doctrines ofĀ PetrarchĀ and humanists such asĀ Machiavelli, emphasized the virtues ofĀ intellectual freedomĀ andĀ individual expression. In Montaigneās essays, the individualistic view of life received perhaps the most persuasive and eloquent affirmation in the history of literature and philosophy.
Image source:Ā https://search.creativecommons .org/photos/6c0c5a99-c0a3-413f-ad89-30d2667a089f
IndividualismĀ and the instinct ofĀ curiosityĀ were vigorously cultivated. HonestĀ doubtĀ began to replace unreasoningĀ faith.
Classicism
The early humanists returned to the classics with aĀ sense of profound familiarity, the impression of having once again been brought into contact with expressions of an intrinsic and permanent human reality.
Machiavelliās term āumanitĆ ā (humanity) means more than kindness; it is a direct translation of the LatinĀ humanitas.
ClassicalĀ thinkingĀ offered insight into theĀ heartĀ of things. Furthermore, the classics suggested methods by which human reality could transform itself from an accident of history into an artifact of the will. Antiquity was full of examples ofĀ epic action,Ā victoriousĀ eloquence, andĀ applied to understand. Classical rhetoricĀ carries out enlightened politics, whileĀ Classical poeticsĀ could bring enlightenment into the veryĀ souls of men. In a way paradoxical to most modern minds, humanists have associated Classicism with theĀ future.
Classicism in architecture
Classicism in architecture developed during theĀ Italian Renaissance, in the writings and drawings ofĀ Leon Battista AlbertiĀ and in the work ofĀ Filippo Brunelleschi with an emphasis onĀ the symmetry,Ā proportion,Ā geometry,Ā and regularity of the parts as demonstrated in the architecture of ClassicalĀ antiquity and the architecture ofĀ Ancient Rome.
Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/26f5bc1f-e9a0-4806-b79b-4306b8d69fd7
The more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles ofĀ medieval buildings were replaced by the orderly arrangements of columns,Ā pilasters,Ā andĀ architraves, the use of round arches,Ā hemisphericalĀ domes, niches, and āaediculesā.
In theĀ 16thĀ century,Ā Sebastiano SerlioĀ contributed to codify the classical orders andĀ Palladioās legacyĀ was transformed into the long tradition ofĀ Palladian architecture.
Image source:Ā https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/1ff69522-0283-46df-90c0-abb181b8fd4e
From the Renaissance until the advent of Modernism, classical styles of architecture have long dominatedĀ Western architecture. That is to say, for much of Modern history, that classical antiquity has been considered the main source ofĀ inspirationĀ for architectural endeavors in the West.
Furthermore, architectural styles not considered typically classical, such asĀ Gothic, containĀ classical elements.
The more or less decisive feature can still be said to be aĀ reference to ancient Greek or Roman architectureĀ and the architectural rules or theories that derived from that architecture.
Image source:Ā https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/b9250ce0-a893-4c83-886f-79a4232d713a
Info sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_architecture http://americanhumanist.org/humanism/what_is_humanism http://www.iep.utm.edu/humanism/ https://humanism.org.uk/humanism/ http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/humanism.html http://www.britannica.com/topic/humanism
please also visitĀ www.idesign.wiki