Enlightenment+vs.+N.+Renaissance

Prompt: "Compare and contrast the cultural values of the Enlightenment with those of the sixteenth-century Northern Renaissance."

Thesis: While the Northern Renaissance focused primarily on reforming Catholicism and the Enlightenment focused on reforming government, both movements had values dedicated to moving towards a utopian society filled with no corruption and greed.

By: Melody Huang D:

North Renaissance Ideals:
 * Evolved from Italian Renaissance
 * One major goal: Reform of Christianity
 * Fewer ties to classical past and not focused on Greco-Roman Culture
 * Also known as Christian Humanism
 * Translated classics for printing press, and sought to find ethical content of Christian works
 * Believed to find morality more humane than the theology in Medieval times
 * Focused on sources of early Christianity (Holy Scripture, writings of Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome)
 * Discovered simple religion that was distorted by complicated theology in Middle Ages
 * Reform Program: Belief that inner piety/true inward feeling would bring reform to church and society
 * Erasmus: Popularized idea of reforming Christianity
 * "Adages" - Anthology of proverbs (showed ability in Classics)
 * "Handbook of the Christian Knight" - Christianity should be guiding philosophy for life, not crazy dogmatic beliefs
 * Emphasized actual faith and not the external forms of religion (i.e. rejected sacraments pilgrimages etc.)
 * People needed to understand the Bible
 * "Praise of Folly" - Satirical view on criticizing corruption in Church
 * Did not feel the need to destroy Christianity, simply wanted to reform it.
 * Thomas More: People recognized his family as the ideal Christian family
 * "Utopia" - Idealistic life
 * Imaginary island in vicinity of New World
 * Reflects concern of economic, social, and political problems
 * Presented new social system where cooperation and reason reduced power/fame motivations in society
 * Eventually beheaded by Henry VIII for opposing England's break with Catholic Church

Enlightenment Ideals:
 * The idea to use science/philosophy in analyzing life
 * Bayle: "Dictionary" - Attacked traditional heroes and practices (Referred to as the "Bible of the 18th Century")
 * Montesquieu: "Persian Letters" - Criticized French institutions, especially Catholic Church + French monarchy
 * "Spirit of the Laws" - Three branches of government
 * Voltaire: "Oedipe" and "Philosophic Letters on the English"
 * Admired England's tolerance of religion, freedom of press, and freedom of political thought
 * Known for criticism of traditional religion toleration and defended Jean Calas
 * "Treatise of Toleration" - Criticized religious fanaticism, intolerance, and superstition
 * Came up with idea of Deism
 * Newtonian world-machine
 * God created the universe and given it laws to run by
 * Diderot: "Encyclopedia"
 * More tolerance, more humane, and more reasonable society
 * "Science of Man" - David Hume ("Treatise of Human Nature") who said that observations and reflections made knowledge of human nature a science
 * Adam Smith: Laissez-Faire ("WEalth of Nations)
 * D'Holbach: "System of Nature"
 * Condorcet: "Progress of the Human Mind"
 * Rousseau: "Discourse on Origins of the Inequality of Mankind"
 * Government is necessary evil to keep order
 * "Social Contract" - Liberty is achieved from following laws placed on yourself

Culture and Values, Volume II (Wadsworth Group) AP Achiever (McGraw-Hill, by Chris Freiler)