The Origin and Development of Western Humanism

Abstract：There are three emancipatory movements in European history： the Renaissance of the 14th to 17th centuries， the Reformation of the 16th century and the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries. These three emancipatory movements have a profound influence in different era backgrounds for Europe even the whole world.

Key words：Renaissance； Reformation； Enlightenment

1. The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that took place in the 14th to 17th centuries， which originated in Florence in the late Middle Ages and later extended to European countries. Under the control of the church， medieval literature and art were lifeless. There was no progress in science and technology. The spread of the Black Death in Europe also aggravated the panic in people's minds， making people begin to doubt the absolute authority of religious theology. In medieval Europe， the trade center concentrated in the Mediterranean coast. In Italy， the bourgeoisie wanted to break the shackles of church theology， which was the earliest capitalism bud. The prosperity of the city economy made the wealthy businessmen， workshop owners and bankers more believe that the value and strength of individuals， more full of innovation and enterprising， adventurous spirit. Versatile and elegant people were widely respected. In Italy， there were so many talented people in the 14th to 17th centuries， representatives of Leonardo da Vinci， Dante and so on. In conclusion， this extensive and lasting ideological and cultural movement， in the field of ideology， broke through the bondage of feudal autocracy and religious theology to the people， liberated people's ideas， promoted the prosperity of European cultural and ideological fields and laid the ideological and cultural foundation for the European capitalist society.

2. The Reformation

The Reformation was a Christian social reform movement in Europe around the 16th and 17th centuries. It was opposed to the extreme domination of the church， the alienation of religious doctrines and the oppression of the church by the church. The new bourgeoisie considered that the religious organization hindered social development and then launched a large-scale socio-political and cultural movement. Martin Luther was the representative of the Reformation. On October 31， 1517， Martin Luther， professor of theology at the University of Wiedenburg， published the "Ninety-five Essays"， attacking the Holy See's sale of indulgences， directed at the Pope， and opened the prelude to religious reform. In 1520， Luther published "open letter on the reform of the church privilege system to the German Christian nobility，" urged the Holy See and the church to restore the apostolic era of clean-fingered and simple. European religious reform movement from the opposition to the Holy See the sale of "indulgences" outbreak， to the British King Henry VIII reform state religion reached its climax. In European history， it had a significant impact and was an inevitable result of the development of European capitalism. Besides， it was also a milestone in the history of Christian development.

3. The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment usually refers to the 17th century to the 18th century during the French Revolution a new thinking emerging era， together with rationalism and so constitute a longer period of cultural movement. This period of the Enlightenment covered all areas of knowledge， such as natural science， philosophy， ethics， politics， economics， history， literature， education and so on. In the 18th century， France remained a feudal monarchy， and the Catholic Church controlled the social life of the country and the people's minds. The Catholic Church and the autocratic monarchy insanely mutilated people who had different belief and progressive ideas. Thanks to the Renaissance， the natural sciences had made great strides， and scientists had revealed many mysteries of nature. Many of the Catholic Church's sermons are self-defeating and people had more confidence. The desire to break away from despotism and Catholic oppression had intensified. First in the ideological field launched against tyranny and the Catholic Church ideological struggle， thus setting off a vigorous unprecedented ideological liberation movement， historically known as the Enlightenment. In the Enlightenment， a group of advanced， emerging thinkers， such as Voltaire， Jean-Jacques Rousseau and so on， launched a fierce attack on the feudal autocratic system and the Catholic Church. The movement spreaded to the world and became a powerful social trend of thought.

4. Conclusion

The three ideological emancipatory movements in European history are essentially the ideological liberation movement of the bourgeoisie against feudalism. Due to different times background， these three ideological liberation movements brought great changes to the society and people's thoughts at that time， and also had a profound influence on later generations. We should learn thinkers dare to challenge the authority of the spirit， and constantly emancipate the mind， update the concept of advancing with the times.

【References】

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【作者简介】

闫月（1999—），女，汉族，河北迁安人，单位：河北迁安市第一中学。