Humanism was an ethical movement that focused on individual development through education and self-improvement. It emphasized the importance of reason as well as emotion, nature, freedom, morals, and social responsibility.
The humanist movement began in the Italian city-states of the 14th century. It was during this period that many of Europe’s greatest artists and thinkers were influenced by humanism. The Renaissance was a period of great cultural change, during which people began to think of themselves as individuals rather than members of an estate or class within society. This thinking led some scholars to begin questioning many long-held beliefs about religion, science, politics and daily life. Many writers, artists and philosophers were influenced by this new way of thinking, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Galileo Galilei.
Not only did humanism influence the arts; it also had a significant impact on the development of science. Through their study of classical texts such as those written by Plato and Aristotle, Renaissance scholars rediscovered mathematics and geometry — disciplines that had been lost for centuries after the fall of Rome in 476 A.D.. Humanists also studied nature as part of their effort to learn about God’s creation. This led them to believe that people should study science as well as theology.
