We are still following the changes that occurred in the Western concept of morality throughout the ages, up to the modern era and beyond, in order to understand the various contexts accompanying the sharp chaos that we are witnessing in recent decades, which prompted some to oppose morality by ending it. These contexts include political, intellectual, social, religious and cultural transformations in every era.
And after we got acquainted in the previous post with the concept of ethics among the Greek and medieval philosophers, we continue in this post to talk about this concept in the Renaissance era, which is a massive coup against the Middle Ages in various fields, establishing the foundations for the separation of religion from the state, liberalism, atheism, the rule of reason and inclination humanity.
Rebirth of Western Civilization
The name of the Renaissance refers to the end of the Middle Ages, the dual dominance of the political, feudal, and religious authorities, and complete control over the movement of political, economic, religious, intellectual, and social life, in a way that achieves the interests of these authorities.
The Renaissance was not an ordinary era for the West, but rather an exceptional era in every sense of the word. The French even called it the era of "rebirth" of Western civilization, due to the many transformations it witnessed that brought about a comprehensive change in Western life, especially in France, where it played. The ideas of the Renaissance played the greatest role in preparing the atmosphere for the French Revolution and getting rid of the monarchy and the control of the church.
We can say that it was an era between the dominance of religion and power in the Middle Ages, between the rule of liberalism and human thought, the legalization of political power and the separation of religion in the era of enlightenment that followed the Renaissance, while some thinkers see it as an extension of the Middle Ages, but with a reformist view, where the basis was the intellectual that dominated the Renaissance era is the human dimension derived from Roman philosophy, which reinforced the concept that man is the measure of everything.
The Renaissance era covers the 15th and 16th centuries AD for most historians, after which the Enlightenment era began, which extended until the end of the 18th century. Some historians believe that the Renaissance period extends from the beginning of the 15th century until World War I at the beginning of the 20th century.
The first preparatory harbingers of the Renaissance began in the Italian city of Florence at the end of the 13th century and throughout the 14th century, where humanism crystallized in poetry, literature, art, thought and philosophy, at the hands of a group of secular writers, and one of the most prominent pioneers of this era was the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321 AD).
Dante's Divine Comedy is one of the main works that contributed to the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and Dante was one of the first to talk about the need to separate the church from political power. In addition to Dante, the Italian poet and writer Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374 AD), who was called by some the “Father of Humanity,” left many literary and intellectual books whose translations into European languages contributed to the establishment of Renaissance thought.
The European openness to Islamic thought in Andalusia and Baghdad, and the expansion of the translation movement from Arabic into Latin, also played a major role in creating the atmosphere for the start of the Renaissance.
The German researcher Sigrid Hunke (1913-1999 AD) mentioned in her book "The Sun Of Arabia Shines On The West" that the Arabs were in the Middle Ages the geniuses of the world, and the Arabic language from the eighth century AD until the beginning of the 12th century was the language of the world for the whole human race until it has become necessary for any individual in Western Europe to learn the Arabic language in order to be familiar with the culture of the time.
Sigrid mentioned that the Arabs developed what they took from the Greeks, and formed it through their experiences in a new formation, and they were the founders of scientific research based on experience. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD also had a major role in promoting humanism, as many eastern scholars fled to Italy, bringing with them important books and manuscripts.
In the Renaissance, interest in architecture, art, politics, literature, science, and drawing spread again. The interest in drawing the human body was consistent with the prevalence of humanism.
Scientific, intellectual, religious, social and economic efforts were also active, the introduction of banks, the establishment of the science of accounting and the paper industry, the discovery of printing and the start of the press, the compass and gunpowder, all of which were dominated by humanism, realism and rationality, until a number of historians described the Renaissance as an irresistible march of modernity and progress, based on separation A sharp departure from medieval values and institutions, a new awareness of the individual and its centrality in life, and an interest in the material world and nature.
The Renaissance remains the period between the Middle Ages, the domination of the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire, and the sweeping transformations that began in the 17th century. From Italy, the new thought moved to Britain, France, Germany, and all over Europe, launching various reform movements and waves.
Notable Persons of the Renaissance
Among the pioneers who were crowded with the Renaissance era, we stand at 4 of them, due to their great impact in enriching the thought of the Renaissance era, and shaping political, religious and social life, touching their view of morals in the light of the new human propositions that prevailed in this era:
Giovale Pico della Mirandola
Mirandola (1463-1494 AD) is considered one of the Italian thinkers whose dissertations had a great impact on formulating the ideas of the Renaissance, despite his young age. He died of poisoning in mysterious circumstances when he was 31 years old.
Mirandola was influenced by the ideas of Plato and Aristotle and wrote the book "Human Dignity" in a Neoplatonic-Aristotelian framework on which he built his 900 theses, which he believed provided a complete basis for the discovery of knowledge and the progress of humanity in the chain of existence.
Mirandola believed in universal reconciliation, and one of his 900 treatises stated that mortal sin of finite duration did not merit eternal punishment, only temporal punishment.
He believes that the human call is a Sufi call that must be achieved by following a 3-stage method, which necessarily realizes moral transformation, intellectual research, and final perfection in identity with the Absolute, and believes that different religions and traditions describe the same God. The many editions of his complete works in the 16th century indicate the extent of his great influence on the pioneers of this century.
Niccolo Machiavelli
The Italian thinker and philosopher Machiavelli (1469-1527 AD), the author of the book "The Prince", is considered one of the most famous thinkers who influenced political life in European countries and the changes witnessed by the Age of Enlightenment.
His book (The Prince) includes 26 chapters, each with a specific topic, and he does not hesitate to use force, brutality, deception, and falsification to achieve the goals of his nation, under the slogan “the end justifies the means,” establishing opportunistic, immoral political rules that are not based on religious teachings or Social norms, as he believed that moral values are characteristic of the simple and the weak, and as for the prince, he does not need these values, as he is the master of them all.
Martin Luther
The German monk, pastor, and philosopher Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD) is considered one of the most prominent pioneers of the Renaissance, who grasped the Italian ideas and set out with them to continue the renewal movement.
Luther rejected many of the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, and he believed that salvation and eternal life are not acquired by good deeds, but rather they are a blessing from God, which the believer obtains through his faith in Christ as a saviour from sin. Luther challenged the authority and function of the Pope and saw that the Bible is the only source of revelation, and his translation of the Bible into the German vernacular had a tremendous impact on the German Church and German culture, and on its imitation in revitalizing its translation into other languages such as English and French.
Luther believes that redemption, the redemption of Christ, peace be upon him, does not give justification for human sins, but is justification in itself, that justification and forgiveness are a gift from the Creator, and that man feels through faith that he is a person who has been born again.
Martin Luther holds that all have sinned and that God has justified and forgiven them regardless of their past deeds and disparities, which is necessary and must be the object of faith, and believes that justification or forgiveness can be gained by a law or a good deed.
Desiderius Erasmus
The Dutch philosopher and monk Erasmus (1469-1536 AD) summed up the moral essence of humanity in his insistence on sincere goodness as opposed to formal piety. He is one of the pioneers of the humanist movement in Europe. He published a number of educational books that dealt with most aspects of education and its important issues. He tried to establish principles for the humanist movement according to Christian orientations. He also wanted to bring the followers of the Catholic doctrine closer to the followers of the new reform movements.
He was one of those who defended the right to adopt a critical method of dealing with the Bible with the aim of enhancing the ability to understand the doctrine, and his highest goal was to achieve tranquillity and pure piety rooted in internal thinking, and Erasmus did not take a position towards the religious reform initiated by Martin Luther, as he did not want to separate from the Catholic Church, hoping to resolve differences with straight thinking.
Ethics in the Renaissance oscillated between the religious trend that prevailed in the Middle Ages, but with a renewed spirit, and the humanism derived from Aristotelian and Platonic philosophy. With this oscillation, it was truly the solid base on which the unbridled liberal and revolutionary ideas that prevailed in the Age of Enlightenment were built, and in turn, crystallized the intellectual foundations of subsequent eras.