One cannot look at humanism and the Renaissance without looking at how each influenced religious thought. In fact, the most significant difference between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages is "where God had previously been the centre, Man now takes this place" (Dresden 13). Man in now the focal point of the world and he is the "centre of all that is taking place" (12). The most "corrosive impact" (Cameron 73) that the Renaissance had on medieval Christianity came from the thinker who was as "devoutly, intelligently, and consciously committed to Christian faith as could be" (73). Erasmus took the humanists' textual criticism, moral values, and belief in education and applied them uncompromisingly to theology" (73). Another significant difference between the two movements is that the humanists "showed a fresh and, one might say, unprejudiced interest in ancient texts and that they had an almost insatiable curiosity about unknown…...
mlaWorks Cited
Cameron, Euan. Early Modern Europe. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Dresden, Sem. Humanism in the Renaissance. New York: World University Press, 1968.
Todorov, Tzvetan. Imperfect Garden: The Legacy of Humanism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Humanism is an important subject that has been in existence, as a philosophy, since the Renaissance in the 1500's. Yet few know what humanism means, and what it refers to. This paper will provide definitions of humanism, as well as a brief history. With these in mind, thus, one is better prepared to then understand the philosophy and, if needed, apply it to daily life.
As a definition, humanism means, according to the Free Dictionary, any of four things:
as a philosophy, it signified "the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity" as well as the rejection of religion in favor of a belief in the ability of humanity and its advancement through its own efforts;
it can also signify the philosophical position that "stresses the autonomy of human reason in contradistinction to the authority of the Church";
as a literary movement, as aforementioned, it can signify the movement…...
mla8. believes that a human can attain the good life by "combining personal satisfactions and continuous self-development with significant work and other activities that contribute to the welfare of the community";
9. believes in the awareness of beauty;
10. believes in the complete social implementation of reason and the scientific method.[footnoteRef:2] [2: All points and quotations taken from: "The 10 Points of Humanism: A Definition." IHumanism | An Internet Humanist Community. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .]
Humanism in the Renaissance posited that everyone is worthy of an equal chance, and even though peasants were not the socioeconomic equal of the wealthy, peasants were human and deserving of an equal opportunity. Humanism in fact was an attempt "…to resurrect and emulate the literature and art of the ancient Greeks and Romans," Neil Haughton writes in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Renaissance painters emphasized the "positive attributes of their subjects, both physical and political," rather than "realistic interpretation" (Haughton, 2004).
As to the impact the Renaissance had on the founding of America, authors Richard Vetterli and Gary Bryner suggest that the American Revolution was "…less…the first political act of revolutionary enlightenment as the last great act of the Renaissance" (Vetterli, 1996, 14). In fact the authors say that the American founders were "civic humanists"; indeed, the beliefs, the attitudes and the character of the American founders "…could not help…...
mlaWorks Cited
About.com. "Last Supper, painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, 1498." Retrieved April 26, 2013,
from 2013http://atheism.about.com .
Haughton, Neil. "Perceptions of beauty in Renaissance art." Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology,
3.4 (2004): 229-233.
Humanism: Summary
One can define humanism as a school of thought or belief system which connects to both the fields of philosophy and ethics and which places a focus on the power of the individualism. There are a range of different types of humanism, and modes of thought connected to humanism, along with different intellectual and religious movements connected to humanism. All of these elements are partly responsible for making the definition of the term unclear.
In certain respects, the development of humanism was a reaction to the dissatisfaction of many experts with behaviorism. The school of thought surrounding humanism was in many ways the consequences which developed as so many psychologists just couldn't agree with many of the pillars of behaviorism. "Many psychologists did not accept the behaviorists' view that humans were governed by stimuli and responses, with no will of their own to change their behavior" (Pastorino & Doyle-Portillo, 2013).…...
mlaReferences
Hurst, M. (2013). Humanistic Therapy. Crchealth.com. Retreived from: http://www.crchealth.com/types-of-therapy/what-is-humanistic-therapy/
Pastorino, E., & Doyle-Portillo, S. (2013). What is psychology ? essentials. (2nd ed., p. 11). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
In one portrait of a Renaissance man, the aristocrat's musical instruments are placed alongside his various scientific instruments, books, and weapons (Arkenberg 2002). Eventually, in spite of "some of the obscure, antiquarian concerns of humanist engagement with the music of the classical past…music came to be thought of not as a branch of mathematics" but as an art ("The Renaissance," Free Encyclopedia, 2009). Humanism shifted the analytical understanding of music fully into the realm of the expressive, fine arts. There was renewed interest in the relationship between music and words and music's ability to express human emotion, versus analyzing the mathematician Pythagoras' notion of the 'music of the planetary spheres' ("The Renaissance," Free Encyclopedia, 2009).
At the beginning of the century, polyphonic music still dominated the Latin masses and motets of sacred music. Because these styles of music contained several simultaneous melodies polyphony tended to deemphasize individual voices, words, and…...
mlaWorks Cited
Arkenberg, Rebecca. "Music in the Renaissance." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000 -- . October 2002. December 11, 2009. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm
Kries, Stephen. Renaissance Humanism. The History Guide. 2001. Last updated November 7,
2008. December 11, 2009.
The Catholic Church was forced to react and respond to the Protestant Reformation. This can be seen in the music of Palestrina. The Council of Trent resolved to eliminate the use of secular and ornate music during masses, which it saw as part of the 'worldly excesses' condemned by Protestants. Palestrina composed masses with a "purer, more restrained style" (Sherrane 2008). Palestrina brought forth a resurgent interest in plainsong, "each with its own profile and crystalline line," and allowed more individual voices to be distinguished, although this can be seen as actually reflecting a secular musical trend of the Renaissance, namely the interest in setting words to music in chansons and madrigals (Sherrane 2008).
Along with the development of the printing press, other notable technical innovations of the era were the creation of different musical instruments, including keyboards such as the clavichord, harpsichord and organ and the use of the viola…...
mlaWorks Cited
Blood, Brian. "Music history online: music of the 16th century." Lesson 36. Dolmetsch Musical
Instruments. Last modified December 17, 2009
http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory36.htm
Delahoyde, Michael. "Renaissance music." Humanities 303. Washington State University
Humanism, Absolutism, Power and Style
Read the following excerpt from an article, then discuss the three questions below the excerpt. Then respond to 3 members below. Post comments on what they have to say.
In an article in Psychology Today published on September 01, 2008, Hara Estroff Marano writes:
It's tempting to think that style is a new invention, open to us only now because we particularly value self-expression, and an extraordinary range of possibilities for doing so is available to us. But Joan DeJean, a professor of French language and culture at the University of Pennsylvania, contends that style has its well-shod feet firmly planted in the seventeenth century; it was the deliberate creation of Louis XIV of France, the Sun King. He was, she says in The Essence of Style, history's greatest exemplar of it.
DeJean sums up the style that Louis created in a word -- sparkle. Louis bedecked himself…...
Humanistic and Exestential Therapyies
Humanistic Existential Theories
Strengths and limitations of humanistic and existential theories
Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s, there was an increasing emphasis on new theories of the human personality and on ways of treating psychological disorders that offered alternatives to conventional psychodynamic, Freudian theory and the deterministic behaviorism of Skinner. Both humanistic and existential theories offered an alternative perspective. "They are united by an emphasis on understanding human experience and a focus on the client rather than the symptom. Psychological problems (including substance abuse disorders) are viewed as the result of inhibited ability to make authentic, meaningful, and self-directed choices about how to live" (Brief interventions, 1999). In humanistic and existentialist thought, there is a unity of philosophical speculation about how to enable the client to live a meaningful life.
Humanistic theories of psychology stress the fundamentally 'good' nature of all human beings. All human beings strive for…...
mlaReferences
Brief interventions and brief therapies for substance abuse. (1999). Treatment Improvement
Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 34. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Retrieved from:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64939/
The humanistic approach. (2014). Approaches to Psychology. Retrieved from:
Humanism
The term Humanism can mean a number of things. For example, in regard to literature, it can mean that a person has devotion to the humanities or to the literary culture. However, in a religious sense, Christian Humanism would mean a more human-oriented Christianity, as opposed to a spiritual faith and would hold an expectation of man's philosophic self- fulfillment within the framework of Christian principles. The bottom line is Humanism is based on man's input. "...Humans are responsible for the state of the world; we created the beauty and the ugliness of the human condition. e can take credit for the things that go right and we must take responsibility for the things that go wrong." (The Essence of Humanism) Thus, when we attempt to define Humanism, we need to be specific as to the direction our terminology is to lead. This report will focus on Religious Humanism and…...
mlaWorks Cited
The Essence of Humanism. Ed. Flo Wineriter. November 1998. Humanists of Utah. 17 Sept. 2004 http://www.humanistsofutah.org/1993/gennov93.html .
Religion
This work provided an intensive discussion historical forces that were to lead to modern humanism but also succeeds in placing these aspects into the context of the larger social, historical and political milieu. .
Online sources and databases proved to be a valid and often insightful recourse area for this topic. Of particular note is a concise and well-written article by Stephen eldon entitled Secular Humanism in the United States. This article provides a well-structured overview of the main issues in the development of secular humanism. It also provides insight into the influence of secular humanism in the United States.
An online article that is especially pertinent in terms of the consequences of the rise of secular rationality in an ideological sense is The Great Scandal (part 1) Christianity's Role in the Rise of the Nazis by Gregory Paul. This article also adds to the complexity of the debate about the…...
mlaWORKS CITED
Anthony Giddens: Modernity, post-modernity and the post-traditional. accessed 8 January, 2010); available from http://www.theory.org.uk/giddens3.htm
Blitz, Mark. "Understanding Heidegger." Public Interest 106 (Fall 2001).
Blond Phillip, ed., Post-Secular Philosophy: Between Philosophy and Theology [book online] London: Routledge, 1998, accessed 4 August 2008); available from Questia, http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102972565 ..
D'Agostino, S. Matthew. "Reason and Rationality: The Core Doctrines of Secular Humanism."Free Inquiry, Winter 1994, 47+.
Comparing Behaviorism and Humanism Learning Theories in Understanding Mike\\\'s SituationIntroductionThe Case of Mike is one that deals with addiction and how to overcome it. Mike was introduced to drugs at an early age, as a treatment for ADHD. Eventually, he took to harder drugs and ended up prison. Now he is out and wants to stay clean. Two contrasting learning theories can be applied to the case study of Mike are Skinner\\\'s Behaviorism, which emphasizes the role of environmental reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior, and ogers\\\' Humanism, which focuses on the individual\\\'s subjective experience and intrinsic motivation. This paper will look at Mikes case from the perspective of these two theories, compare and contrast them, and show how they can be applied to Mikes situation.Skinner\\\'s BehaviorismB.F. Skinner\\\'s behaviorism theory, or the theory of operant conditioning, rests on the assumption that all behavior is a product of conditioning, with reinforcement…...
mlaReferencesKafes, A. Y. (2021). Behavioral intervention techniques used in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: Systematic review. Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar, 13(4), 726-738.Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change. Guilford press.Povinelli, D. J. (2020). Can comparative psychology crack its toughest nut. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 7(4), 589-652.Rusu, M. (2019). The process of self-realization—From the humanist psychology perspective. Psychology, 10(8), 1095-1115.Schlinger, H. D. (2021). The impact of BF Skinner’s science of operant learning on early childhood research, theory, treatment, and care. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1089-1106.
Picture Analysis
The two works were likely completed after the Black Death, as they were both Florentine artists influenced by Giotto, who died at the end of the 14th century. The two works echo Giotto’s style in that there is a distinct rupture between the lifelike representations and the Byzantine style that had preceded them. Byzantine art tended to be more symbolic and less concerned with realism. Here, in each of these Florentine works, one sees a good degree of humanistic representation, which Giotto helped to usher in and that would come to roaring to the fore during the Renaissance.
Each of these works are religious in nature: the one is a triptych—three paneled painting featuring elements of the Gospel—such as the Incarnation and the death and crucifixion of Christ; the other one is Christ the King, flanked by angels. Both of these works would likely have been located in a church.…...
As these ideas, become standard for creating a new genre that can speak to the audience in different ways. Therefore, humanism and its impact on the music of the Renaissance period would serve as way of highlighting a shift that was taking place in art and society, with the music reflecting these ideals.
ibliography
"Humanism." Dictionary. Last modified 2010. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/humanism
"Music from the Renaissance." Columbia University. Last modified 2010. http://www.fathom.com/course/10701021/session1.html
"The Renaissance." J. Rank. Last modified 2010. http://arts.jrank.org/pages/5582/Renaissance.html
ova, Russell. Russia and Western Civilization. Armonk: Sharpe, 2003.
uelow, George. A History of aroque Music. loomington: Indiana University, 2004.
Kim, Hyun. Humanism and the Reform of Sacred Music. urlington: Ashgate, 2008.
Mayernik, David. "Prices of Renaissance Approach." Humanist Art, last modified November 6, 2006.http://www.humanistart.net/renaissance/renaissance.htm
Morris, Terrance. Europe and England. New York: Routledge, 1998.
Roden, Timmy. "Fourteenth Century Music." Analogy for Music in Western Civilization. oston: Schirmer, 2010.
Chicago Format. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/
"Humanism." Dictionary, last modified 2010. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/humanism
"The Renaissance." J. Rank, last modified 2010.…...
mlaBibliography
"Humanism." Dictionary. Last modified 2010. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/humanism
"Music from the Renaissance." Columbia University. Last modified 2010. http://www.fathom.com/course/10701021/session1.html
"The Renaissance." J. Rank. Last modified 2010. http://arts.jrank.org/pages/5582/Renaissance.html
Bova, Russell. Russia and Western Civilization. Armonk: Sharpe, 2003.
Secular Humanism
We live in a world that is so dictated by religious politics. eligion has seemingly become a defining characteristic of who we are. Yet, there are many who choose to free themselves from limited notions of religious doctrine. Many believe in what is known as secular humanism, where the human is at the center of each of our lives, not a religion or God. Secular humanism is a branch of humanism that focuses not on mans connection with God as the primary origin of life, unlike other branches of humanism (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011). Here, the human being is the center of each individual's life and not a God or religion in this perspective humans originate much like other animals, their evolution and existence does not depend on a religion. The human identity is just another biological identity. According to the research, "secular Humanism is an attempt to function…...
mlaReferences
Patheos Library. (2012). Secular Humanism. Patheos Library. Web. http://www.patheos.com/Library/Secular-Humanism.html
Secular Humanism. (2013). Secular Humanism: The exclusion of God. Secular Humanism. Web. http://www.secular-humanism.com/
Weider, Lew & Gutierrez, Ben. (2011). Consider. Academx Publishing.
Secular Humanism and Christianity
The first thing to remember about Secular Humanism is that it does not have a creed -- in fact, it rejects them: the Nicene Creed of the early Christian Church, for example, would not be believed by a Secular Humanist, for their religion is science. Secular Humanists have no defined beliefs concerning the origin of the human race, because they have seen no empirical data that is convincing enough to prove anything one way or another: some may believe in evolution and some may even believe in a Creator. Secular Humanists believe in the right to free inquiry (whether "ecclesiastical, political, ideological, or social") (Stevens et al. 2011).
Identity, therefore, is subjective and follows for the most part in the tradition of modern philosophical thought: humanism, after all, truly "exploded" in the West following the Renaissance and became the skeptic's preferred system of belief. Identity is based, like…...
mlaBibliography
New Revised Standard Version Bible. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009.
Radest, Howard. The Devil and Secular Humanism. NY: Praeger Publishers, 1990.
Stevens, Fritz, et al. "What is Secular Humanism?" 2011. Council for Secular
Humanism. Site accessed 25 Sep 2011 from http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=what
Chapter 1: Ancient Civilizations
The Rise and Fall of the Sumerian City-States
The Indus Valley Civilization: Unraveling the Enigma
The Ancient Egyptian Civilization: Pyramids, Pharaonic Power, and Daily Life
The Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations: Maritime Masters of the Aegean
The Zhou Dynasty and the Birth of Chinese Civilization
Chapter 2: Classical Civilizations
The Athenian Golden Age: Democracy, Philosophy, and the Arts
The Roman Empire: Conquests, Governance, and the Pax Romana
The Mauryan Empire: From Chandragupta to Ashoka's Legacy
The Hellenistic World: A Syncretic Blend of Greek and Persian Cultures
The Han Dynasty: China's Ascendancy and Technological Innovations
Chapter 3: Medieval Civilizations
The....
Art's Transformative Influence on Societal Values and Beliefs
Art, in its multifaceted forms, serves as a potent catalyst in shaping the values and beliefs that permeate societies. It possesses the transformative power to reflect, challenge, and evolve the ethical, moral, and cultural fabric of human experience. Throughout history, art has borne witness to societal shifts and has played an integral role in fostering progress and empowering individuals and communities.
Reflecting Societal Values:
Art often mirrors the dominant values and beliefs of a particular time and place. Artists draw inspiration from their surroundings, capturing the hopes, fears, aspirations, and prejudices of their contemporaries. By....
Effective management of learning behaviors is a cornerstone of successful education, enabling educators to optimize students' cognitive, emotional, and social development while addressing individual needs. By leveraging psychological perspectives, educators gain invaluable insights into the complexities of human behavior, equipping themselves with evidence-based strategies to foster positive learning outcomes for all students.
Educators strive to create an inclusive learning environment where every student feels valued and supported. Understanding diverse learning styles and identifying potential barriers to learning are imperative for accommodating students with special educational needs. By integrating psychological principles into their practice, educators can tailor interventions to the specific requirements....
How Pudumaipithan's Short Stories Contribute to Tamil Literature
Introduction
Pudumaipithan (1906-1948), a prominent Tamil writer and humanist, revolutionized Tamil literature with his groundbreaking short stories. Through his unique narrative style and profound insights into human nature, Pudumaipithan's stories have left an indelible mark on Tamil literary history. This essay examines the significant contributions of his short stories to Tamil literature, exploring their literary innovations, thematic depth, and enduring legacy.
Literary Innovations
Pudumaipithan's short stories are characterized by their innovative narrative techniques and stylistic experimentation. He employed the stream-of-consciousness technique, allowing readers to delve into the inner thoughts and emotions of his characters. His stories....
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