Philosophy of the Renaissance

The meaning of the term "revival" is due to the fact that it is in XIV that the renewed interest in ancient culture, art, philosophy. At the same time, the emergence of a new original culture of the countries of Western Europe. Philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are very different from each other mainly due to a decrease in interest in Christian culture.

Features of the philosophy of the Renaissance

The first and main difference of the new world view is the change in attitude towards the human problem. He becomes the center of knowledge and thinking. The philosophers of that era were equally interested in both the material nature and the spiritual qualities of man. Especially clearly it manifested itself in the fine arts. Philosophers are beginning to actively promote the idea of harmonious development of man, his physical and spiritual qualities. However, they paid more attention to the formation of the spiritual world. This was the development of history, literature, art and rhetoric.

The philosophy of the Renaissance for the first time begins to advance the idea of humanism. This view recognizes the value of a person as an individual, with his right to freedom of expression, development and happiness. One of the basic principles of the ethics of the Renaissance is the desire for nobility, the valor of the human spirit. The philosophy of the Renaissance considers man not only as a natural being, but also as a creator of himself. At the same time, the confidence in the sinfulness of man is weakening. He no longer needs God, for she herself becomes a creator. The center of this trend was Florence.

The philosophy of the Renaissance is also characterized by the doctrine of pantheism. It is based on the identification of God with nature. Philosophers who adhere to this trend claim that God is present in all objects. Also, the creation of the world by God is denied. The philosophy of the Renaissance fundamentally revises the concepts of nature, man and God. According to the teachings the universe was not created by God, but exists constantly and can not disappear. God is in nature itself, as its active principle. The most prominent representative of this thought was Giordano Bruno.

Natural philosophy is also one of the main philosophical currents of the Renaissance. This philosophy deals with the problems of the infinity and eternity of the universe, the existence of different worlds and the self-movement of matter. At this time, matter is beginning to be perceived as an active creative principle, full of vitality. At the same time, the inner capacity of matter to change was called the soul of the world. It is inside matter itself and dominates everything. At the same time, new approaches to the movement of celestial bodies, sharply differing from theology, were expressed. The most famous representatives of this thought are Nikolai Kopernik, Nikolai Kuzansky, Erasmus of Rotterdam.

Such a new attitude towards God and criticism of the official church served as an impetus to the condemnation of the Catholic faith itself. The philosophy of the Renaissance erects the teachings and principles of the knowledge of ancient thinkers in the absolute. According to the new philosophy, science should become the basis of religion. Magic and occultism are beginning to be considered the highest forms of scientific knowledge. Philosophers showed great interest in ancient religious teachings.

The practical criterion of truth put forward by Renaissance philosophers is the basis of the modern methodology of the natural sciences. The ideas developed by the philosophers of that time about the inseparability of man and nature, the cosmos and the Earth were taken as the basis for the next generations of philosophers. Also, the Renaissance became the impetus for the development of utopian socialism. The ideas expressed by the humanists had a large-scale impact not only on culture, but on the entire social consciousness.