Alright. This is going somewhere trust me.
So we have been learning about the end of the Renaissance in Italy and today we have discussed the differences between the early stages and the late stages. We previously talked about what started it and just talked about what ended it. We were also briefly told that a discussion on whether the Renaissance was an advancement or not will occur before the week ends.
Using this information (and drawing from textual sources we have used), look at this question: In your head, compare the Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance to the 1600s+. Do you think humanity in Europe, specifically Italy, has advanced overall, returned to the caliber of or declined to the likeliness of the Middle Ages, or has done neither and had its advancements and downsides? Why?
(In short, was it better overall, worse overall, or neither?)
At first glance it may appear that nothing changed from the Middle Ages to the end of the Renaissance; however, I think that a lot did change. And looking back, I think that it was for the better. One thing most people notice during this time period is the Church. By comparing the Middle Ages to the end of the Renaissance (Counter-Reformation) one sees that the Church has a a lot of power and it very strict. Nothing's changed, right? But I think a lot has. What's important is what happened in the middle. The emergence of Humanism and all that came with that and the Reformation. Maybe these ideas were shut down with the Counter-Reformation, but just putting them out there is what I think matters. The fact that the Church had lost enough power and that people were actually thinking for themselves is something they will never forget. Although it appears like they lost all that freedom by the end, the Church cannot take away the fact that it was threatened and the people won't go back to thinking the way they did before. Therefore, things cannot go back to the way they were. I think that this new feeling of independence is a good thing so overall the Renaissance was an advancement in my mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Caroline that there was some shifting in the churches power, but I think that our class as a whole is overlooking a bigger question. I mean, I see only a very small connection to the wealth and power of the church and the quality of life. Yes, the church provided some aid to the poor but if they were as corrupt as we believe why would life change with their small flucuation in power? Maybe Im not making sense but does anyone else see my point?
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