PSY 4130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Renaissance Humanism, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Individualism

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 4130
• Professor: Shirley Griffith

Document Summary

Renaissance is generally dated from approximately 1450 to 1600, although many historians would date its beginning much earlier. Renaissance means , rebirth, and during this period, the tendency was to go back to the more open-minded method of inquiry that had characterized early greek philosophy. Europe was recently moving from being god centered, to human centered. They had reasoning powers , and they had the capacity for enjoyment. Denotes an intense interest in human beings, as if we were discovering ourselves for the first time. During this time, interest was focused on a wide range of human activities. 4 major themes characterized renaissance humanism: individualism: There was great concern with human potential and achievement. The belief in the power of the individual to make a positive difference in the world created a spirit of optimism: personal religion: Although all renaissance humanists were devout christians, they wanted religion to be more personal and less formal and ritualistic.