Another aspect of the renaissance was its humanism, meaning an interest in or focus on human beings and their well being, here and now, rather than in God and the afterlife, or the activities of saints and Biblical heroes of eons ago. Petrarch (1304-1374), for example, wrote history with an emphasis on personality, and is often considered the first humanist (at least since the ancients!).

There were several philosophers in the early renaissance who particularly express this idea of humanism. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494), for example, believed that the philosophers (that is, Plato and Aristotle) and Christianity basically agree. He argued for free will and saw mankind as the connection between the physical world and the spiritual world.

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1467-1536) recommended a compromise between faith and humanism, and tried hard to prevent the excesses of the reformation. A strong believer in free will, he wrote against the concept of justified wars, and asked his readers to exercise tolerance, friendliness, and gentleness.

Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), friend of Erasmus and chancellor to the infamous King Henry VIII, wrote a story called Utopia, in which he described a perfect society much along the lines of Erasmus’ compromise between faith and humanism. When he refused to recognize his sovereign as the head of the English church, said Henry VIII had him beheaded. The Catholic church made him a saint.

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) had quite a different outlook on things than these philosophers -- still, however, typifying humanism. He wrote about hardball politics in a book called The Prince, 1513. His reputation became so negative, that “Old Nick” became a nickname for the devil himself. But few people realize that he followed up The Prince with The Discourses, in which he discusses democracy as the political system he would prefer to see! I myself think he deserves credit as the first social psychologist.

And this was particularly the heyday of artists and authors. Among the artists were Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Michelangelo (1475-1564) in Italy, and Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) in Germany. Later in the renaissance, we have El Greco (1541-1614) in Spain, and later still, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) in Holland. Among the literary types we had Montaigne (1533-1592) in France, Cervantes (1547-1616) in Spain, and none other than William Shakespeare (1564-1616) in England. There were many others.