The Renaissance

Most of us probably remember Renaissance roughly means rebirth, and the Renaissance man was focused on the rebirth of the classics. Here, classics means greco-roman themes. I think the easiest way to sum up the Renaissance is to call it a focus on the humanities: the study of grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy. Starting around 1400, people became interested in what it means to be human, and in their art, literature, education, etc., practicaly all of Europe was exploring that idea. And they compared their learning and civilization to that of the Greeks and Romans.

I've had lots of different teachers throughout High School and College who have conflicting views on Humanism, the main theme of the Renaissance. I remember one in particular who was convinced the Renaissance was an immoral period in our history, one that turned from relying on God to relying on man. After studying some of the basic themes of the Renaissance, I couldn't disagree more! Humanism, what here I'll call the humanities, were all about becoming better people, and better communities.

The humanities technically are a focus on man, but that doesn't mean it pulls us away from God. Rather, the humanities ask, "What does it mean to be human? And how could we be better at being human?" While educated Renaissance men loved Classical (Greco-Roman) literature and art, they were not pagan. They took Classical styles and applied them in a Christian way. They studied Classical plays and found moral meaning in them. If the Renaissance pulled man away from God, why was there such religious excitement? How could the Reformation come about if men (and women) were not thinking about God and how to follow Him?

I might be a little biased as an English Major. I love the humanities because I find so much meaning in them. I find answers to questions in literature and art and philosophy. To me, a study of the humanities can make us better people. And on top of that, I love science! In that way, Leonardo da Vinci and I have something in common, stretching out to a wide variety of subjects. So maybe I see myself as a Renaissance woman and that's why I can't find a problem with Humanism.

And that's where our digital culture comes in. We probably don't think about it, but the blogs and the social sites in a way are an exploration of what it means to be human. We're not focused on the Classical period as much, I would say, but our art and our literature and our morals are on display to the whole world! We study it every day but don't realize it. And our grammar and rhetoric have taken on a whole new form (because really, we don't talk like Shakespeare anymore) but that's part of Humanism: finding out where we are now as human beings.

But does our new Humanism turn toward or away from God and morality? Maybe it depends where you look.