...about the history of World literature this semester. I discovered that the definition of world literature is literature that touches the world, not just one country. World literature is literature that everyone can relate to in some way. On the other hand, national literature is literature written about what goes on in other countries but has no effect on the world rest of the world as a whole. Humanism is one of most important concepts found in the history of world literature. Humanism is an attitude that emphasizes the dignity and worth of the individual. A basic assumption is that people are rational beings who possess within themselves the capacity for truth and goodness. The term humanism is most often used to describe a literary and cultural movement that spread through Western Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. This Renaissance revival of Greek and Roman studies emphasized the value of the classics for their own sake, rather than for their relevance to Christianity. Humanism is an attitude of the mind that accompanied the progression of the Renaissance. This aspect of humanism, sometimes called the Revival of Antiquity, includes the study of the classics; editorial and philological work on ancient texts. In the beginning, the church controlled literature. Writers could only center their literature on God. Writers couldn’t write about flesh, each other and objects outside the church. People of this time were very uneducated because the church did not value education...
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...Brandon Fisher 10/20/15 Hum1020 What is humanism? Humanism can be described in many ways and expressed through various methods . Many authors tend to explain humanism in several different meanings, and because they do not clarify which meaning it is that they themselves believe and can often be the foundation of confusion. Modern humanism can vary from the renaissance humanism in many ways, because generations have changed and different problems arose through the time periods. Modern humanism depends on reason and human life itself, it rejects all sense of supernaturalism and has a dual origin. While renaissance humanism directly focuses on the arts, culture, and rhetorical traditions. In this generation the infatuation with humans and life itself describes differences that these three readings have. However, the author’s opinions on humanism connects the similarities that they share. In Margaret L. King’s Renaissance Humanism, the different essays cover the opinions of humanism which ties to the papal court and all medieval traditions . In each essay the topic is focused on literary and religious magnitudes as well as the idea of classical learning. The beliefs and aspirations of the people were centered on God and saints as well as some scholars becoming more interested in the sciences and arts . During the timeframe of these writings women who practiced humanism were often looked upon as problematic. They were typically more intelligent and willingly tried to step...
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...Europeans began to take an interest in and focusing more on learning and gaining achievement. Developing new ways of thinking, education, and expanding trade. The coming of humanism. When the European society wants to gain more knowledge of life from classical Rome and Greece teachings. Scholars studied texts. This was known as humanism. Humanism was developed to create a well-rounded civilization. To have the people think for themselves. When humanism began to be a part of life in the 1200s the people introduced themselves into learning. As cities grew in Europe. During the middle ages, societies began humanizing and developing an interest in education. This was when books became popular and more efficient to life after the invention of...
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...exploding onto the scene. This was the beginning of what we now know as the Renaissance the ‘Rebirth’ and the new way of thinking would later be referred to as Humanism. The Renaissance was one of the great intellectual ages of European culture at its height during the 15th and 16th century there were many amazing new developments amongst many areas including painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, education medicine science including many more of mans intellectual and educated pursuits, the main center of this revolution was classical Italy although later spreading throughout Europe to infiltrate all facets of European culture The Renaissance saw creation of different attitudes towards life and different ways of thinking. After spending hundreds of years in the depths of the Middle ages a time when human progress and achievement slowed to a trickle, Western Civilization blurred and there was a great period of cultural decline, society wanted some sort of freedom from the grips of an extremely religious European way of life and so began the drift away from these catholic driven ideals and into the new age, The age of the Humanist. Humanism refers to the study of the ‘Umanista’ or ‘Humanist’ which described the group of people whose subject was an area called the Studia Humanitatis. Although the term humanism is widely...
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...Secular Humanism Todd J Colosimo Sr. Liberty University In modern culture, a consistent, discernable line of secular humanist activism is evident from the late nineteenth century to the present. (Hinson & Caner, 2008, pg.443). Thomas Hurley and his followers whole agenda was to over throw Christianity as whole. Their stated goal was to “replace the Christian worldview” with what they termed “the church scientific.” (Hindson & Caner, 2008, pg.443). We begin to understand secular humanism by understanding their concepts on origin, identity, purpose, morality and destiny. The secular humanist believes that their origin began 4.5 billion years ago on coincidence. Secular humanists believe there is no place in their view for either deity or immorality. Humanism contends that instead of the gods creating the cosmos, the cosmos created the gods. (Hindson & Caner, 2008, pg. 444). We see that in the Christian worldview that cause of our origin is because God created the universe and world into existence. The Bible states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”(Genesis 1:1, NIV). The secular humanists believe that the world we know today occurred by accident. We as believers understand that by God’s spoken word that the mysteries of the universe and the world was spoken into existence. We see in Genesis 1:3-26, where God spoke 8 different times the existence of the world we see today. Next we discuss the secular humanism thoughts...
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...Humanism was a major turning point in human thinking. Since started by Francisco Patriarch, it has changed the way people thought about philosophy, basic life, and education. In a way, it had has roots that has reached deep into today's way of living. It was not a simple way of thinking, but a revolutionary thing that changed religion hugely. Catholicism was the only major religion. That had ruled the religious food chain in the 14th - 15th century. No one had thought of opposing its teachings or way to live life. One thing that it had taught largely was to fear God and that you had to give tidings to the leaders of the church to receive the lord's glory. Fear was also the only way to have blessing. Then Martin Luther, a major humanist, had a preposterous idea...
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...Secular Humanism The Question of Origin- As a secular humanist, the origin of life is nothing spectacular. Human life is a product of thousands of years of evolution. Man evolved from matter that simply was; there is no god who created life, it just is. The Question of Identity- A secular humanist identifies equally with all life, “Mankind is simply a more sophisticated animal” (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013). Because man has evolved from animals, we are not above them and should treat all life with the same respect. The Question of Meaning/Purpose- A secular humanist believes man gives his own meaning to life (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013). It is merely man’s responsibility to leave the world a better place after he is gone. A humanist seeks and finds fulfillment from the amount of happiness in his life and satisfaction from his desires. Therefore, seek what makes you happy and brings you the most pleasure. Having a naturalist worldview allows the individual to decide a personal meaning and purpose for their own life. The Question of Morality- There is no absolute moral code in secular humanism; the belief is to base your decisions on the consequences of your actions. A secular humanist does not believe in an all-knowing god; you are simply free to be your own judge. If it feels good and does not hurt anyone; you should be able to do it. The Question of Destiny- A secular humanist believes existence is over at death. There is no afterlife; you cease to exist...
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...I began thoroughly learning about Humanism last year in my AP European History class. The concept of Humanism was, especially, known and expressed during the Renaissance in Italy. From what I know, this concept has a basis of appreciating humanity. Humanists tended to only focus on the “goodness” and morality of a human being. They viewed humans as “supreme” instead of an actual God. Humanism and the Italian Renaissance came after the era of the Middle Ages. To humanists, human beings had the “... ability to solve problems… and seek rational solutions…” instead of focusing on religious solutions (Ch. 17 pg 279). Before the Renaissance, many Europeans solely believed in what the Bible and the Church taught them; They refused to learn logical...
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...Thomas More’s Utopia is a work of ambiguous dualities that forces the reader to question More’s real view on the concept of a utopian society. However, evidence throughout the novel suggests that More did intend Utopia to be the “best state of the commonwealth.” The detailed description of Utopia acts as Mores mode of expressing his humanistic views, commenting on the fundamentals of human nature and the importance of reason and natural law, while gracefully combining the two seemingly conflicting ideals of communism and liberalism. The presence of satirical irony and contradiction clearly defines Utopia as an unobtainable goal, though goal that all societies must pursue nonetheless. In essence, Utopia is a written manifestation of More’s humanist beliefs. Many of these views are vicariously present in the character of Raphael Hythloday. For example, Hythloday comments on the unwillingness of Kings to take advice from others, claiming they are “drenched as they are and infected with false values from boyhood and on” (More, 2011, p. 28). The idea of “infection” implies that a man is not naturally corrupt or sinful, but rather pure at heart and simply influenced by the environment an individual is exposed to. This is a key humanist concept, which suggests that human nature is malleable and inconstant, and therefore can be positively influenced to do good. Raphael later states, “Pride is too deeply fixed in human nature to be easily plucked out” (More, 2011, p. 98) Though this...
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...Humanism is the belief in the bringing back of the classics and in the greatness of man. Humanists believed in the importance of this life; they believed that if someone had a talent it was a gift given to them by God and they should use to create beauty. Their hope was to of gain fame and grow closer to God. It was this idea, that inspired the Renaissance. Even though humanism was considered a Renaissance idea there were many writers in the late Middle Ages that helped create the basis for future humanist. One of the most important writers was Dante, who wrote The Divine Comedy. Some of the Humanistic concepts that he includes in his Inferno are the revival of the classics, putting an emphasis on the divinity of humans, and the desire to...
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...Humanism has long been a part human philosophy, with roots in ancient Greek philosophy, the idea that there is no god nor any supernatural realm or being has long preceded our current culture. But Humanism is not just the disbelief in a god but also in the authority carried by that go If there is no authoritative god to rule over man then man is the ultimate authority and whatever man says is right is right. This ovement was given credibility by Darwin's theory of Evolution. This theory gave the humanists a theory for how the earth began without needing a supernatural being to have created it. The first man to recorded to have these "humanist" ideals was an ancient Greek philosopher named Protagoras. Protagoras lived around the fifth century...
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...Leslie C. Lee HIEU 205 June 23, 2014 Italian and Northern Humanism During the age known as the Renaissance, humanism was a thriving force within Europe. Humanism had a profound impact on how man viewed the role of education and intellectualism within society. Renaissance humanism has been defined as simply a curriculum based upon the study of Greco-Roman classics that affected the culture and man’s point of view. Renaissance humanism was ultimately divided into two branches which came to be known as Civic humanism and Christian humanism which defined differences between Italian humanists and Northern humanists. Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472) and Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536) and their ideals exemplify what separated the two. The contrast between Italian humanism and Northern humanism can be simply stated as one led man away from God, the other drew man closer to God. Education was crucial a factor in the ideals of both Italian and Northern humanists. Classical scholarship was the heart of Italian humanism while Christian scholarship was the chosen education of Northern humanists. The classical Latin language of Cicero was an important part of both scholarship curriculums and both Alberti and Erasmus were fluent in Latin. The differences between scholarships were the exclusion or inclusion of Christian classics. Italian humanists unlike Northern humanists held the idea that the classic Latin language should be the chosen language of the elite. It was a common practice...
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...Part 1 The question of origin with humanist are that they deny any existence or thought of God. They believe that present science is the answer to how life began. They believe that the entire universe including life is merely by chance. We are matter turned to living cells which makes us human. With the question of identity you will find humanists are constantly in quest of main truth through trial and opinion. They also believe that mankind is an evolved creature. Humanist believe no one is born with knowledge, you will have had to exist for certain amount of time. Your life has no meaning or significance. The question of meaning or purpose answered by a humanist will mean that all your thoughts and dreams, are deceptions because mankind has no significance. Everyone has a diverse impression about happiness. Humanist have to make the most out of their lives meaning that it is up to them have a good life by their standards and good deeds. Humanists want to build a humane society through an ethics based on human and other natural values, and they reject “supernatural views of reality” (International Humanist and Ethical Union, 2009). There are no genuine values. For secular humanist the answers to questions about destiny are when you die life is over. Humanist believe that there is no life after death. Your legacy is the only thing that comes after death in the eyes of the humanist. Secular humanists believe the judge of a person will be those left behind, and how those...
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...Catherine White World Religions April 5th, 2013 Humanism Humanism dates back to the Renassiansce days.The word humanist is derived from the work "umanista" which is an Italian term to describe a teach of greek and latin literature and philosophy. Humanism is the study of humanities such as literature, philosophy, and history. There are many different types of Humanism. They all have the same core beliefs but all differ in other ways (such as social beliefs). Humanists do not believe in any type of diety, supernatural beings, superstitions, miracles, or wishful/ hopeful thinking. Instead, they believe in self actualization and reason to solve problems and make life decisions. Their lives are based upon three things: naturalistic ethics, rational skepticism, and science. If there isn't hard factual evidence to prove something, they generally don't believe it to be true. They (humanists) have ten core beliefs that guide them through life. They are comparable to the ten commandments of Christianity. They are as follows: 1. The human species has evolved and is part of nature. 2. You are alive and aware because of the human brain and that there is no higher being that gives you life. 3.Humans need to have something to believe in in order to function properly. 4. In all forms, anything supernatural is a myth. 5. Humans can achieve great things when they work together and can also use those same abilities for destruction. 6. The behavior of humans has...
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...where religion and values were important, good and evil was widely distinct and the political structure was highly valued depending on the individual’s background. These factors had huge influence on how and why literature was raised. Middle ages was a more a time of religious fears and, scientific and cultural progress was considered evil which made stories more conservative, harsh and heroic. One of the famous medieval text includes Thomas Malory and the Morte D’Arther. The text is a fusion of historical and pre-Christian magical elements. On the other hand, the renaissance was quiet different to medieval period, it was the rebirth of individualism, humanism and free thinking. Renaissance writing, by contrast showed interest in writing, arts and culture. One of the key philosophical elements of the renaissance was the rise of humanism and precursor to the age of enlightenment. Renaissance literature and arts became more invested in the hands of rich and powerful. One of the famous renaissance text includes a Petrarchan sonnet called the Holy Sonnet 10 by John Donne. The sonnet has a lot of religious and biblical context of god, death and eternal life. It highlights the insignificance of death that it should not be feared, it reveals human dignity and happiness and individual freedom. These 2 texts from the medieval and the renaissance had strong beliefs and valued religious/ heroic figure in society which hugely affected people’s faith and value. During the Medieval ages there...
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