Humanism: The Two Causes Of The Renaissance

The Renaissance may be a hard topic to understand, but it is the reason we go to school today. In fact, it is the sole reason there are schools and subjects such as art, math and science today. After the Black Plague, many people decided to focus on their lives on Earth rather than the hereafter. This way of thinking was later named Humanism. Humanism spread throughout all of Florence, Italy before it did anywhere else. Most of the population of Italy decided to focus on society, education, self-respect, talent and became more man-centered. There were two causes of the Renaissance, one was the church and the other, the Black Plague.

Renaissance is a French word translated as “rebirth”. That era was named Renaissance due to the new lives everyone
had begun. Let us start where it all began, with the Black Plague. The Black Plague, or in other words, the Black Death, was one of the causes of the Renaissance. As the name gives away, it was a moment of tragedy for those who were caught by the plague. There was no escape when you caught the disease, and no prayer could prove that statement false. The people of the time went to many priests and prayed countless times, but because none of the prayers were answered, the people began to lose belief in the church. Their perspectives began to alter and they started to focus more on themselves and their life on Earth. This perspective began in Florence, and with the assistance of Venice and Genoa, Humanism expanded to the boundaries of Italy.

After the Black Plague and the church’s inability to cure the disease, many people began to use usury as a source of money.
The merchants were paid more than they charged. This lead a financial rise for the merchants. Merchants brought new ideas and goods as they travelled and sold them in Italy. Marco Polo had a big hand in the commencement of trade commerce in Italy. He was a 17 year old boy who had found the silk road. The silk road were routes that linked civilizations from the Mediterranean in the east, to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It was used to trade goods, ideas, and knowledge. Marco may have begun the trade and commerce in a way, but the merchants were the ones who travelled around the world, to bring items worth trade, to Italy. The merchants brought goods such as spices, sadan, clothes and jewels, and ideas such as trade, commerce, traditions, education and art. Art was also an important factor of the Renaissance, it reflected many opinions and ideas. The Medici family had helped with this by supporting art and providing jobs for artists. The Medici family was well known at the time as it was a rich family that supported the
Humanism.

Humanism, in general words, was a man-centered system of thought.
It took in count, the human values, capacities, and worth. Although it may have been man-centered, it didn’t deduct the fact that there was a god and a hereafter. They still believed in religion, but they didn’t believe in the church. The church had taken control for far too long and was able to do nothing at the essential time. Why shall one devote his life to the church above all else, when it will not help you in the times of need. The citizens of Italy began to think for themselves, to think what was best for them and this lead to Humanism. Humanists began to build schools and create subjects such as science, math, art, so that they could educate the generations that were to come after them. Many artists had also become quite popular during the Renaissance, as some importance was given to art. Some of the famous artists were Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo and Raphael. They had bloomed throughout the Renaissance due to their paintings of attractions. Growing out of Humanism were many other ideas, and one of them was Civic Humanism. Civic humanists defined a responsible citizen, a person who educated himself to improve society. Humanism had changed society in endless
ways.

Today, we stand in a completely different society because of the people who stood up and changed society, in the past. If it were not for the Renaissance, we would not even be able to get a job at McDonalds because it would not exist. The people of Italy gave importance to education and taught all the generations after them. Europe is no longer a place where you devote your life to the church. Nor is there only one religion, and nor is the human importance ignored. People care about art, science, education, jobs and their future. Education is not preventing you from doing your religious duties, nor is it forcing you to devote your life to education. The Renaissance brought the attention of the world towards culture and art. Without schools and subjects such as art and science, we would still be laying home without the slightest hint of how the world revolves, how it works. If we did not go to school, something in our life that may come up sooner or later, that would put us in a position, where have no choice but to study. I do not think that anyone enjoys to work at a place like McDonalds for the rest of their life, because it would not earn you much money. I may not like to go to school, but I am happy that I am able to go to school.