Humanism was a basic source of inspiration for all cultural changes of the Renaissance,

greatly influencing literature, history, painting, sculpture and political ideas. Humanism as a
cultural movement came to be involved with the rediscovery and study of ancient Greek and
Roman texts, their restoration and interpretation and the collection and assimilation of ideas
derived from those texts. At the heart of the Renaissance philosophy of man was an assertion of
human dignity aimed at realizing individual potentiality. The freedom of will was emphasized,
while it was believed that human personality develops more fully in the context of family and
civic responsibility.

The secular conception of happiness included wealth, pleasure, health, and beauty as
well as piety and virtue. In their view ambition and the quest for glory were noble impulses
which ought to be encouraged. They refused to condemn the striving for material possessions,
for they argued that the history of human progress is inseparable from mankind’s success in
gaining mastery over earth and its resources. Humanists wanted to create an environment in
which the potential of man could be fully exalted and his mental faculties could reach its full
potential. The humanists made available the recovered and restored classical literature in the
purest form.

Besides acquiring manuscripts, they made copies for their patrons, edited them or added
commentaries to establish their authenticity. Lorenzo Valla provided literary criticism of ancient
texts and placed them in original form as different from Medieval Latin and introduced the
concept of anachronism into all subsequent textual study and historical thought. In literature
they turned to works of ancient pagans like Plato, Cicero and Livy, and of ancient Christians like
St. Augustine and St. Jerome. The humanists’ emphasis on classical Latin, led to the widespread
use of vernacular literature, which developed into a type of writing that was too self conscious,
too imitative of classical models, rhetorical and often artificial.

Humanists introduced the concept of periodization of history – ancient, medieval and

modern. Theological interpretation of history and the supernatural element in history were
replaced by a new secular interpretation – the idea of natural causation in history and the way
for proper use of material. Petrarch’s Lives of Illustrious Men in fact set this trend. They created
the idea of liberal education and founded some new disciplines like numismatists and
epigraphy. The humanists considered education in the classics (particularly rhetoric) as the best
form of education to pursue political careers as advisers to princes or diplomats.

Such an education prepared the pupil in the art of speech, arguments, public writing in
the civic spheres so that they could develop into good public or civil servants. The humanists in
their educational programme laid stress on the value of liberal arts in order to teach the secrets
of true freedom. They emphasized physical education as well, as they believed in the idea of a
sound mind in a sound body. Private education, like wealth, lineage, public post and family
connections, had become a status symbol. Oratory developed as an art. Castiglione popularized
the ideal of the “Renaissance man”: one who is accomplished in many different pursuits of and
is also brave, witty, and “courageous,” meaning civilized and learned.

The biggest limitation of these educational programmes was that girls were not included
in it. The humanists were of the opinion that, women should not subjugate or subordinate
family responsibilities to seeking education. The school of Neoplatonists sought to blend the
thought of Plato, Plotinus and various strands of ancient mysticism with Christianity. The
Platonic Academy led by Ficino and Pico synthesized Christianity and Platonism into a single
system based upon two primary views – Neoplatonic hierarchy of substance and the theory of
spiritual love.

For Ficino, scientific observation and logic was not so important as true wisdom and
experience, love and contemplation all of which lead to human dignity. For him, everything was
hierarchical, from the lowest matter to God, and the human soul was placed somewhere in the
middle of this hierarchy. Hermanticism another form of intellectual movement emphasized the
occult of sciences like astrology, magic and alchemy. The Hermentics argued that God existed in
all forms of nature, in earthly objects as well as in the heavenly bodies. So they believed that
human beings were endowed with divine power and in order for them to regain their original
activity, they must search for knowledge in nature and utilize the powers of nature fruitfully.

Pierto Pomponazzi in his work, ‘On the Immortality of Soul’, argued that since the
question of immortality of soul was insoluble; a theory of ethics could be established based on
the concept of rewards or punishments after death. Distinguishing between faith and
knowledge, he pointed out that what may be true for a philosopher may not be true for a
theologian. In the sphere of political thought, Machiavelli in his work, The Prince, believed that
political action depended on three forces – virtu, necessita, and fortuna. For him virtu denoted
the strength and the vigor needed to construct a politically successful society. He regarded
political life as a constant struggle in which the opportunities must be exploited by the use of
virtu.

Machiavelli emphasized the concept of ‘Real Politika’, to put a line of demarcation

between religion and politics. For him religious morality did not apply to rulers and that a
prince must exploit the weaknesses of his opponent. His Discourses of Livy was a treatise on
military organization. He rejected the method of imitation of great men of the past. He believed
that governing required different skills at different times and that the rulers must adopt actions
in tune with time. In regions outside Italy, humanism was synthesized with basic Christian
beliefs. It focused on the spread of Biblical study and criticism of medieval theology. At most of
the centers attention was given to scriptures, which they believed would lead to greater harmony
between faith and intellect.

The Devotio Modema taught that the essence of Christianity is a spiritual communion
with God through Christ. Christian life was more important than Christian doctrine and the
inspiration for this life was set forth clearly in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Erasmus’
Praise of Folly was a satire on the society and the religious practices of that time. He also
attacked the monastic life as being useless and wasteful. He ridiculed popular superstitions. He
also criticized scholasticism vehemently, because he believed that the attempts of scholasticism
to comprehend all knowledge and truth within the limits of a singular system of thought
obscured the simplicity of the Gospels and the early Church.

Similarly, Thomas More’s Utopia though purporting to describe an ideal community was
really an indictment of the glaring abuses of the time and Ulrich von Hutten and the Letters of
Obscure Men gave more currency to Erasmian proposition. However, Paul Kristeller refuted the
interpretation of Humanism as a new philosophy of the Renaissance, which arose in opposition
to scholasticism, declaring ‘that the Italian Humanists were neither good nor bad philosophers
but no philosophers at all.’ Instead he saw the Renaissance humanism as a literary movement,
focusing on grammatical or rhetorical studies; the excursions of humanists into the realm of
philosophy were often erratic, amateurish and superficial.