2. “To what extent and in what ways may the Renaissance be regarded as a turning point in Western intellectual and cultural tradition?” Question #2, Kim Smith AP European History

3. The Renaissance may be regarded as a turning point in Western intellectual and cultural tradition through its science, philosophy, art, and social behavior and manners. First, the Renaissance provided a spirit of experimentation, curiosity and objectivity in science, which set the template for current research efforts today. Second, the Renaissance gave birth to new and more modern forms of art and artists. The renowned names of Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo and the art they developed left a lasting impression of this period in history. The Roman Catholic Church became less influential in the daily lives of people and man became more secular. In the area of social behavior, finally, Castiglione in the Courtier provided a code of behavior that was adopted by people of that time. These are just some of the elements that show how the Renaissance was the cornerstone of today’s modern Western world.

4. I. Changes in Intellectual Tradition

5. A. The Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution
1. Scientists of the Renaissance tried to emphasized concrete experience over abstract theory

6. 2. Dissections of human corpses provided for the study of human anatomy

8. 3. Da Gama and Christopher Columbus contributed to discoveries in navigation

9. Vasco Da Gama

10. Columbus

11. 4. Copernicus introduced the theory of a heliocentric universe, or the sun as the center of the universe

12. Ptolemy System

13. B. Philosophy / Politics

14. 1. Secularism

15. 2. Humanism

16. 3. Niccolo Machiavelli and The Prince (1513)

17. 4. Bruni

18. Changes in Cultural Traditions:
A. Famous Artists from the Italian Renaissance

19. 1. Brunelleschi

20. 2. Leonardo Da Vinci

22. 3. Michelangelo

24. 4. Raphael

26. B. Art in the Northern Renaissance
1. Albrecht Durer

28. C. Renaissance vs. Middle Ages Art
More secular than spiritual
Better sense of depth and perspective
Linear perspective, chiaroscuro
Study of human anatomy helped painters show people in distinctive and living attitudes
Less symbolic, more a portrayal of concrete realities

29. D. Social Behavior and Manners
1. Castolioni and the Courtier

31. Unlike the Middle Ages, the Renaissance promoted etiquette and “courtesy”, the kind of behavior suited for princely courts

32. E. Schooling and Education Middle Ages vs. Renaissance
Different age groups, levels in separate classes w/own teacher
Latin principle subject w/many new purposes
Scholasticism
Universities professional training in theology, medicine, law
Chaotic, repetitious

33. The extent in which the Renaissance might be regarded as a turning point in Western tradition is the substructure of the Western world today. The modern ideas of science, politics, art, and social behavior were molded out of the complex speculations of the Renaissance. Without the secular uprising from the Renaissance, the treasured creations of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci would never have been discovered. By embracing the curiosity of the scientists and exploring human anatomy and the natural world, Europe would never have discovered America or medicines to one deadly diseases. Machiavelli won admiration of Napoleon and Francis Bacon for his fascinating textbook of pragmatic politics. Castolioni and hit Courtier were the cornerstone of the respectable modern man. The Renaissance was a critical turning point in intellectual and cultural society of the Western tradition.