Prepared by Van Tran
Renaissance Thinking
(1350 - 1650)

• Introduction of Renaissance Philosophy
• Humanism
• Reformation
• Scientific Revolution
• Literature
Outline

Introduction
• Renaissance period was a time of intense, all-encompassing, and,
in many ways, distinctive philosophical activity.
• Renaissance philosophy is a fascinating yet neglected period in
the history of philosophy.
• A dramatic intellectual movement which emphasized the
resurgence of science and culture through classical influences.
• Philosophy was also a beneficiary to this period of renewal.
• Historians mark the close of the Renaissance at around 1600
when it blossomed into a succession of other movements.

• One of the most distinctive intellectual movement within
Renaissance.
• The main emphasis of humanism was secular education using
Greek and Latin classics, rather than medieval sources.
• The humanist movement did not eliminate older approaches to
philosophy, but contributed to change them in important ways,
providing new information and new methods to the field.
Humanism
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

• A Platonist who emphasized the uniqueness of human nature.
• Studied diverse range of thinkers, including those of ancient
Greek, Judaism, Islam and Zoroastrianism.
• His primary focus was Plato.
• His most significant work is Oration on the Dignity of Man.
• He proposed 900 basic principles for discovering knowledge in
religion, philosophy and science but the Pope put a halt on his
plan by declaring 13 of the principles to be heretical.
• He died of poisoning in his early thirties.
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494)

Pico’s great chain of being
Raw matter
God
Realm of angels
Rational creatures with physical
bodies
Physical bodies with no rational
element

• An important influence on the direction of philosophy during the
Renaissance.
• Began in Germany as a localized rebellion against Catholic
Church of Rome.
• Started by a German monk named Martin Luther
Reformation
I would never have thought that such a storm would rise
from Rome over one simple little scrap of paper.

• Graduate of Law school.
• Became a monk due to being terrified by the lightning bolt in a
thunder storm.
• He was ordained a priest and began teaching biblical theology in
University of Wittenberg.
• The universities are full of dissolute living, where very little is
taught of the Holy Scriptures and of the Christian faith, and the
blind heathen teacher, Aristotle, rules even more than Christ.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
HELP, ST ANNE! I WILL
BECOME A MONK!!!!

• Studied Theology in University of France and studied Law in
Orleans.
• The thought that France should break free from Catholic Church
forced him into exile for the remainder of his life.
• He completed his first edition of his Institutes of the Christian
Religion (1536) in Switzerland.
• The aim of Calvin’s Institutes is to provide a Christian philosophy
that will guide believers in the study of the Bible. At the heart of
his position is a series of doctrines that later became known as the
“Five Points of Calvinism.”
John Calvin (1509-1564)

• Total depravity: humanity's complete nature is innately corrupted
• Unconditional election: God predestines some people to salvation
• Limited atonement: salvation is restricted to those whom God
elects
• Irresistible grace: the elect must accept God's favor
• Perseverance of the saints: God sustains the salvation of the elect
in spite of their weakness
Five Points of Calvinism

• God not only pre-selects some people for salvation, but he also
pre-selects others for damnation.
• Whether we are saved or not, according to Calvin, is entirely up
to God, and we have no free choice over the matter.
• Calvin agrees that God indeed has foreknowledge, however he
insists that it has nothing to do with predestination. God sets the
agenda for who is saved and who is damned, not us.
• For Calvin, God not only singles out individual people for
salvation or damnation, but he can select entire communities for
either fate as well.
Position of double predestination

"We call predestination
God’s eternal decree, by
which He determined
what He willed to
become of each man.
For all are not created
in equal condition;
rather, eternal life is
ordained for some,
eternal damnation for
others." (Institutes)

• European science dramatically advanced during the 16th
and
17th
centuries, a period that historians now refer to as the scientific
revolution.
• Nicolas Copernicus’ theory: Earth was simply one of a number of
planets orbiting the sun.
Science Revolution

• As science moved forward, it inevitably raised questions about the
compatibility of religion and science.
Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)
Old sun-centered system New sun-centered system

I’M MADE OF PERFECTION
OLD SUN-CENTERED SYSTEM
I’M NOT 

I’M NOT PERFECT BABE!
NEW SUN-CENTERED SYSTEM
ME NEITHER!

EARTH REVOLVES AROUND THE SUN
NO, IT DOESN’T, DUDE!

Literature:
The History of Philosophy: A Short Survey by James Fieser
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The basic of Philosophy
http://www.iep.utm.edu/renaissa/#H2
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/John_Calvin.htm
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/scientificrevolution/summary.h
tml

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