Renaissance Philosophy

Renaissance philosophy is the bridge between the somewhat backward beliefs of the medieval times and the hailed enlightenment period. The period, ideologies and ingredients which go into Renaissance is very crucial for creating the modern world ahead in technology quite contrary to the domination of physics, mathematics studies in the middle ages. It was the transition times from middle to modern times that happened between fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. The thoughts were influenced by the penetration of the Latin dominions in Easter Mediterranean which took place after fourth crusade. Latin and Greek culture dominated the Renaissance period creating a huge blow against subdued medieval thinking with intellectual spirits.

The time of change was a shift from the past when intellectual freedom emerged in the pagan world and the first positive signs of scholasticism evolved. Dante was inspired by Virgil a roman poet related the contrast between medieval authors with modern day beliefs. The classic models of writing poetry were followed by Petrarch who was the true and first proclaimed poet of Renaissance period. Most poets of Renaissance Philosophy had little knowledge in the happenings around the world but Petrarch had the opportunity to explore different places. He was the one who regrouped Greek which was lost to Western culture and it got established in Florence.

When the language of Greek was established, it encouraged scholars and learners to approach Byzantium which made Florence the birth place of classical revival. Old and lost Greek texts which had great information hidden in them were revealed while some were bought from Constantinople. The literary learners were bit ravenous in educating themselves and the entire Europe was nearly ransacked for finding Latin classics. First time in history after the suppressive middle ages it was only during period of Renaissance philosophy, libraries and schools were established once again for studying Greek, Latin classics in Rome, Mautua, Verona and other towns of the region.

Renaissance philosophy moved on from one stage to another with established of Platonic academy in 1462 with Marcilio Ficino as its leader. A zeal for classical study slowly caught up with erudite scholars and the untouched minds with broad learning scope of intellectual life which later came to be known as Humanism. Learned men like Thomas More, Campanella, Bruno, Ronsard spread it far wider as scholastic lateral thinking spread to France, Germany besides many Northern parts of the world. Great painters inspired schools in Italy leading to discovery of New World.

Questions:

• How did Renaissance philosophy evolve?
• What are the factors that affected the establishment of intellectual life?