The concepts of renaissance humanism were developed by many figures in various directions with a core set of characteristics that featured throughout. Most notably the advancement of the individual was encouraged, through methods such as the studying of classical greek and roman texts, as well as vigorous training in languages, oratory and writing. As noted previously, many humanists worked on behalf of religious organisations such as Leonardo da Vinci and George of Trebizond, although some rejected the notions of spiritual and divine matters which make up characteristics of modern humanism.
The understanding of the self and of our place in the world promoted by humanism was strongly supported by greek philosophers such as Plato and Artistole, as well as Romans such as Cicero, this aspects relates to point 3 of my diagram – the revival of classic texts. The general term for this kind of education was called the studia humantis. Many tried to reconcile these classical ideals with Christianity as Brotton describes however a sort of individualism developed with the techniques of humanism serving as the tools for people to be “able to reflect on the moral and ethical problems that the individual faced in relation to his/her social world.”
The printing press also served as a vital tool in the spread of renaissance humanism, with the ability to mass produce books with ease, the humanists ideology could be distributed to a wide audience easily. This created a revolution with more people reading and writing, Brotton describes this:
At the beginning of the 15th century, literacy and books were the preserve of the tiny, international elite focussed on urban centres like Constantinople, Baghdad, Rome and Venice. By the end of the 16th century humanism and the printing press had created a revolution in both elite and popular apprehensions of reading, writing, and the status of knowledge, transmitted via the printed book.
I think that at this early stage of my research a better understanding of classical texts would aid my understanding of renaissance humanism which I will continue to build on, however there are a few similarities of things which I think are relevant to contemporary society. The first issue is the development of the individual and the ability to “to reflect on the moral and ethical problems” that are present in todays world. As we progress into the 21st century, the whole idea of the individual and identity are big issues, this can be witnessed in both cultural and social issues ranging from race and religion to sexuality and personal interests. The increasingly diverse and multi cultural world which we are living in is adapting to new identities as people are developing with the conditions of the modern society.
The internet could also be viewed as the 20th and 21st century printing press. In a similar way to the printing press in creating a “revolution in both elite and popular apprehensions of reading, writing and the status of knowledge”, so too the internet has provided a vast and global digital network where knowledge and information can be shared and distributed all over the planet, in multiple languages, almost instantly. Libraries and books have almost been replaced by websites such as Google and Wikipedia when people are looking to find information easily and fast. The ‘status of knowledge’ in todays world could be argued as being of a higher standard as a cause of this. The ideas of the individual and identity are also present when discussing the internet, with the ability to join social media networks, virtual worlds and communities, the internet has created the platform for us to develop multi layered identities, separate in some case cases, of our physical selves. The internet also allows us to research topics or join communities that we may not have had access to if the internet did exist, further developing and complicating our individual identities.