Humanism

Entertainment / Literature / Humanism: A Renaissance intellectual and artistic movement triggered by a 'rediscovery' of classical Greek and Roman language, culture and literature. The term was coined in the sixteenth century from 'studia humanitatis,' or what we would today call the humanities (grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy). Humanists emphasized human culture, reason, learning, art, and education as a means of improving humanity. They exalted the dignity of man, and emphasized present life as a worthwhile focus for art, poetry, and literature. This attitude contrasted sharply with the late medieval emphasis on the sinful, bestial aspects of humanity, which called for treating the present life as a cesspool of temporary evil that humans must reject through ascetic practices in preparation for the afterlife.
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