May 26, 2005
Atheism in the Renaissance
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In crafting today's post, I went back to Chin-Gi's post about the similarities and differences between the Classical Renaissance and the Information Renaissance. In that post, Chin-Gi alluded to a movement "from Secularism to Fanatism or Atheism... I was curious about the impact of atheism during the Renaissance. Knowing the importance of the church in the middle ages and the driving force of religious discovery during the Renaissance Age, I was familiar with the concept of humanism as expressed in the period. Most of my assumption and prior knowledge seemed to suggest a Humanistic Christianity as an outcome of the period, yet I was curious to learn of a humanism that embraced no religious tradition, and to see the fate of those who embraced such a radical view. |
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My first stop on this excursion led me to About.com's article on Renaissance Humanism. It is a good resource on the "point of departure" of Humanism as initiated in Italy...
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One of the most important of early humanists was Petrarch (1304-74), an Italian poet who applied the ideas and values of ancient Greece and Rome to questions about Christian doctrines and ethics which were being asked in his own day. Many tend to mark the beginning of Humanism with the writings of Dante (1265-1321), yet though Dante certainly presaged the coming revolution in thinking, it was Petrarch who first really set things in motion. |
I was then led to History of Atheism at All Sides of the Story (teachingreligion.com), which not surprisingly spoke of martyrdom in the name of religious free thinking...
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The beginnings of modern freethought (sic.) can be traced to the 1500s and 1600s. One of the major influences upon thought in this period was Michael Montaigne. His Essays were highly skeptical, rather deistic (although this word was not used until much later) and very against the concept of witchcraft. In England, Christopher Marlowe had a reputation for atheism, and in fact a court case against him on the charge was pending when he was killed in a fight. Shakespeare rarely reveals his personal religious feelings, but his plays are characterized by a notable lack of religious piety.
The death of Giordano Bruno at the stake in 1600 marks the beginning of the modern period of freethought (sic.). Bruno was an Italian "theologian" and writer. After running into opposition from the Inquisition over his writings, Bruno traveled all over Europe, leaching, writing, and debating. He was often in great danger of being arrested. After fourteen years of this, he was in Venice when he was betrayed to the Inquisition by a former pupil. Bruno was in trouble with the Inquisition for having denied the divinity of Jesus, having said that the world was eternal and that there is transmigration of souls. He also accepted the Copernican idea of the solar system and often lectured on it. Bruno was tried, protesting his innocence, but the Inquisition did not find people innocent. Bruno spent the next seven years in prison in Rome. Finally, in February of 1600, he was burned at the stake. There were many other freethought (sic.) martyrs during the next two hundred years. |
We next venture to The Renaissance Online at Mississippi State University to Jenn Rousey's discourse on the controversy of atheism in the Renaissance and an interesting parallel to the modern world...
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Dr. Yolanda Estes, assistant professor of philosophy and religion, wrote articles and collected translated documents about the atheism dispute with J.G. Fichte for her forthcoming book with Ashgate Publishing Co...
"Hundreds of intellectuals, artists, world leaders and other public figures participated in the atheism dispute, and over 200 students stood up in favor of Fichte,” Estes said. “I cannot see this occurring at any university or city in the contemporary United States. Despite our vast economic and technological power, our intellectual apathy impoverishes and weakens us." |
Finally, a fairly definitive answer was found at the NationMaster.com Encyclopedia...
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During the time of the Renaissance and the Reformation, criticism of the religious establishment started to become more frequent, but did not amount to actual atheism. The dissidents also turned against each other: John Calvin narrowly escaped being burned by Lutherans in 1532, and himself approved of the burning of the Unitarian Christian Michael Servetus in 1553. By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance The Renaissance was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... John Calvin John Calvin (July 10, 1509 – May 27, 1564) was a preeminent Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation and is the namesake of the system of Christian theology called Calvinism. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Events May 16 - Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England. ... Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... Michael Servetus. ... Events June 26 - Christs Hospital in London gets a Royal Charter July 6 - Edward VI of England dies July 10 - Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England - for the next nine days July 18 - Lord Mayor of London proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen - Lady Jane Grey...
The term atheisme (sic.) itself was coined in France in the 16th century, and was initially used as an accusation against critics of religion, scientists, materialistic philosophers, deists, and others who seemed to represent a threat to established beliefs. The charge was almost invariably denied. Thus, the concept of atheism re-emerged initially as a reaction to the intellectual and religious turmoil of the Age of Enlightenment and the Reformation — as a charge used by those who saw the denial of god and godlessness in the controversial positions being put forward by others. How dangerous it was to be accused of being an atheist at this time is illustrated by the fact that in 1766, the French nobleman Jean-François de la Barre, was tortured, beheaded, and his body burned for alleged vandalism of a crucifix, a case that became celebrated because Voltaire tried unsuccessfully to have the sentence reversed. |
Resources...
About.com: Renaissance Humanism: History of Humanism With Ancient Renaissance Philosophers
Atheism in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (source of God is dead! image above...)
History of Atheism at All Sides of the Story (teachingreligion.com)
The Renaissance Online at Mississippi State University
NationMaster.com Encyclopedia: Atheism
A Renaissance Of Hope: Religion(source of Madonna on the Rocks image above...)
May 20, 2005
The History of Printing and Books
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This is my first new Information Renaissance post in a while. I am glad to say that I have found something interesting and stimulating about which to write for this return posting... I found a great resource today on the difference between printing and books, or more appropriately, on the invention of both media. This a great item of discourse into our continuing discussion about the Renaissance, espcially of importance as it deals with the media of that day and because our day possesses a media-rich environment. |
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There is a widely held, yet erroneous, belief that the invention of the book was concurrent with the invention of printing. Somehow it is assumed that the act of printing--that is producing a book by mechanical means--endows the finished product with that essence that embodies a book. After all, the hand-produced book is called a manuscript, not simply a book, and early-printed books are called incunabula, books in their infancy. |
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We are accustomed to think of the periods of manuscripts and printed books as distinct. Traditionally a scholar working in one of these fields has known little of the other field. Even our libraries have perpetuated this dichotomy: manuscripts are always separate from printed books, both administratively and physically. Yet historically this is a false dichotomy. The printed fifteenth-century book was a direct imitation of the contemporary manuscript book.[1] Yet perhaps talk of imitation is misleading. Gutenberg never intended to imitate anything or mislead anyone: he was merely making books by a new means. The end product was really little different than the product of the scriptorium. It was the means of production which was revolutionary, not the book itself. The book, or more properly the codex, was invented in the first century AD, and has continued to this day with relatively few changes.[2]
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More on this can be found at Medieval and Renaissance Book Production - Manuscript Books by Richard W. Clement. The article referenced above from Clement continues with much detail about early writings on rolls and progresses into detail on early books. It is a great resource!
The first image is from the parent website (Nota Bene: the links in the site above will not work. I dug around and found the parent index...) Clement offers an online course at the University of Kansas on the History of the Book, available here. It is also worth a look.
May 04, 2005
Renaissance Podcast!
I wasn't able to post the podcast direct to the Information Renaissance blog, so click here for details why and for the first Information Renaissance podcast!!!
Update: 5 May 05
Sidenote... that's interesting, eh... the date is 05/05/05!
The podcast is now enabled and embedded in the Information Renaissance blog. Check it out!
May 01, 2005
On the impact of early printed books: Oxford Bodleian Library closes Incunabula Exhibit
On Saturday 30 April 2005, Oxford University's premier library, the Bodleian, closed an exhibit of "incunabula" publishing.
Titled "History & Culture in Fifteenth Century Printed Books in the Bodleian Library, Oxford," the exhibition ran from 22 November 2004 to 30 April 2005.
I was fortunate to be able to view the exhibit, in the Old Bodleian Library building, on Friday 29 April 2005, and returned the next day for more information on Saturday 30 April 2005.
I was the last person to leave the exhibit as the porter closed first the inside modern glass door, then the outer, old-style wooden door at 12:27 PM.
(The exhibit was supposed to run till 12:30 PM. Maybe one of us had an inaccurate watch.)
Here is some information from the exhibition's eight-panel brochure, which cost 1 GBP (2 USD), a high price for a little information, yet priceless information for the friends of the renaissance:
"What are Incunabula?
'Incunabula' is the term used for fifteenth-century books printed in the period from Johannes Gutenberg (about 1455) until 1500. The word is a Latin one, and means swaddling clothes, cradle, or, more generally, the origin or beginning.
"This exhibition highlights the work undertaken since 1992 to produce the Bodleian Library's forthcoming descriptive catalogue of its incunables.
"The Bodleian houses the fifth largest collection of incunabula in the world, and this catalogue represents a major contribution to the study of the history of the book - both in Britain (as one of its national collections) and in Europe (through the international nature of the production of fifteenth-century books and their subsequent ownership)."
Several books caught my attention, including the first printed travel guide, from 1486, of a trip to the Holy Land. I expect to write more on these books.
The key point is that printed books through the Gutenberg revolution brought information relatively more rapidly and far more cheaply to more people than ever before in human history to that point. Printed books quickly allowed information to spread beyond the traditional gatekeepers and conservatives of power.
The parallel is with the computer revolution of our era, especially the development of personal computing and large-scale internetworking. Similar effects occur now. Information is networked more rapidly and far more cheaply to more people now, than ever in human history. This information renaissance should have similar, yet larger, impacts than the European renaissance.
Conclusion: studying the early design, development and deployment of printed books helps see the potential impact of information methodologies in our time.
JEG