101 Lecture 20 April 16 Flashcards Preview

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1
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The Renaissance and Humanism

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2
Q

The Renaissance as a Historical Period
c. 1400-1600

Renaissance as a state of mind: Humanism

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3
Q

Fortuna (chance) gradually replaced Providence as the universal frame of reference

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4
Q

The historical period the Renaissance overlaps with the end of the medieval world

Its first few generations were in a sense the culmination of the medieval

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5
Q

Slide

Middle Ages truly end with 3 things:

  1. Printing Press 1450
  2. New World 1492
  3. Reformation 1517
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6
Q

Today we’re looking at the shift in mentality that would come to characterize many of the developments later

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7
Q

Slide

In Italy 15th c.

New period of skepticism

Somewhat exciting

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8
Q

Humanism a new outlook on life

Not organized initially

It began as a kind of youthful rebellion

All its initial adherents were younger than 40

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9
Q

Humanism reacting against:

Medieval synthesism

Valued:
the specific, individual, solitary, unique.

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10
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Individual persons, things, ideas had autonomous value

No need to fit things into a grander cosmic schema

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11
Q

Slide

Dedication to the liberal arts

grammar, history, literature, philology, rhetoric

Studia humanitatis

These best suited for appreciating the human experience

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12
Q

Slide

Belief that the ancients had most nearly perfected the philosophy of loving life for its own sake

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13
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hallmark of early humanism: embracing teh study of classical literature and philosophy

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14
Q

Recovered large bodies of near-lost classical writing

wrote extensive commenatries

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15
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Slide

Tried to “purify” Latin

No word or grammatical construction that had not been used by Cicero

They killed Latin

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16
Q

Slide

Humanism's Founder
Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) (1304-1374)

Born near Florence

Grew up in Avignon near the papal palace

Fell in love with Cicero while still young

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17
Q

Petrarch

Studied law. Unhappy years as a lawyer

Parents died, left him a comfortable inheritance

Devoted himself to poetry and literary study

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18
Q

Can see the difference in humanism from medieval worldviews by looking at Laura vs Beatrice

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19
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Humanism born in the disasters of 14th and 15th c.

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20
Q

These young authors emhasized a worldview that focused on the immediate, the particular

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21
Q

World may not make sense, but that doesn’t mean we should despair

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22
Q

Slide

This celebration can be seen in how classics embraced

Classics had been bedrock of medieval education

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23
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Medievals tended to embrace classical authors for their value in helping make one a better Christian.

For humanists, embraced for their own sake

No larger purpose necessary

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24
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Classical texts as practical guides for living

Most written for small urban republics

Like what northern Italy looks like

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25
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By end of 16th c., virtually the entire classical literary canon as we know it recovered

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26
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Renaissance humanism rejected Middle Ages

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27
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Petrarch on scholastcism vs humanism

Schol can define a virtue like goodness, but can’t make you want to be good.

Humanism inflames the heart

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28
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Humanists all too eager to distance themselves from the medieval world

Church as corrupt, full of scholastic hairsplitting

Medieval Latin brutish and mangled

Architecture a nightmare of spires

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29
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Philosophy full of mind-numbing abstractions

Politics barbarism by another name, tribalism in robes

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30
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Criticisms were genuine and they had a point

But it takes a long time for these protestations to actually become changes

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31
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Christian Humanism in the North

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32
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Slide

Let’s begin with an overview of Medieval Christianity at the end of the Middle Ages

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33
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A. Scholasticism (define again)

  1. a method of theology - logical analysis of Biblical texts
  2. a means by which to understand God, to properly interpret Bible
  3. leads to worry about heresy (incorrect teaching)
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34
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B. Internationalism (one Church the same throughout the West)

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35
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C. Ritualistic

  1. Use of Latin
  2. actions to help save your soul
  3. community cohesiveness through liturgical ritual
  4. emphasis on outward manifestations of faith
  5. well-fitted to an active peasant cohort
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36
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E. Pope as a secular/spiritual leader

  1. has worldly concerns
  2. Role as political leader disturbing to many
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37
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F. Growing dissatisfaction with these traits in Catholocism

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38
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Slide

Northern Renaissance has its roots in printing

  1. First printed Bible in 1445-50 (Gutenburg)
  2. Interest in recovering ancient texts (as in Italy)
  3. Moveable type–this was the real invention
    a. quickly able to reproduce texts
    b. do so without errors from copyists
    c. books much cheaper to produce than manuscripts
  4. importance today of such books–incanabulae
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39
Q

Slide

Gutenburg bible

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40
Q

Slide

Mixing Renaissance Humanism with Christianity

  1. civic (Italian Renaissance): “what you need to live well”
  2. Christian (Northern): “what you need to be saved”
  3. focus is still, however, on the person, on the “you”
  4. creates the beginning of a religious reformation
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41
Q

How is it Humanistic?

  1. the “ancients” are the early Church, the Bible
  2. Romans, Greeks hold less sway than Bible, Epistles
  3. interest in the liberal arts (poetry, art, nature)
  4. harmony, moderation
  5. creates the model for Christian Liberal Arts education
  6. Above all, emphasis on the duty of individual to understand salvation, Bible, God
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42
Q

Slide

Ethics instead of Scholasticism

  1. again, focus on the individual
  2. what can the person do in society to be saved?
  3. salvation, therefore in worldly work
  4. Reason for the Christian human condition
    a. less interest in heresy
    b. use of reason to create piety, not philosophy
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43
Q

Action vs. Contemplation

  1. Goal: Reform Xtianity thru morals
  2. Goal: Reform Church through ancient simplicity
  3. Goal: Prune the Church to make it bear better fruit
  4. Highly Optimistic
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44
Q

Slide

A new world, new Europe

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44
Q

Piety intsead of ritual

  1. Act out your faith instead of acting out rituals
  2. individualist ideas need less communitarian rituals
  3. rituals had become too much, needed pruning
  4. would result in pure simplicity of ancient church
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45
Q

In-class wtiting

Identify three themes that, to you, characterize the Middle Ages

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