Assignment on World History and Humanism

Running head: WORLD HISTORY 1
World History
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WORLD HISTORY 2
Question 1
Humanism, dubbed as Renaissance Humanism was an intellectual movement in the 14th
and 15th centuries in Italy which was embraced by civic leaders, scholars, as well as writers. The
development of this movement was aimed to respond to the medieval scholastic conventions in
education during those times. As a result, humanists revolted against the utilitarian approach,
with their focus being to create citizens that are able to speak and write eloquently, thus engaging
the communities’ civic life. Humanism was regarded as an optimistic philosophy that considered
man to be a rational and sentient being that possessed the ability to make decisions as well as
think for themselves. The philosophy considered man to be inherently good naturally which
conflicted with the Christian view that considers man a natural sinner who needs redemption
(Rubini, 2014). This philosophy provoked a new insight into the nature of reality, questioning
beyond spirituality as well as God. Besides, it provided an understanding of the history beyond
Christian history. Aimed at reconciling the principle of humanism and other developments,
artists and other intellectuals combined Christian theology, classical themes, as well as classical
forms. Rather than rejecting Christianity and other developments, most of the Renaissance’s
greatest works were devoted to the Church, which patronized several Renaissance art.
Question 2
With the absence of the Renaissance, it would have been difficult to think that the
Protestant Reformation could succeed in Europe. The Renaissance considered man as the
pinnacle of life, indicating the world was not only a ‘vale of tears’ but rather something that was
of value and there was a possibility for individuals to survive without making reference to the
divine (Kostylo, 2016). Often, Renaissance is considered a pagan movement that was anti-