Monday, September 22, 2008

thine relationship of printing press humanism the renaissance

Every now and again something happens to humanity; it goes through a paradigm shift. That is, the worldview of 'how things are," takes a drastic plunge into the new, and is forever remembered. Words like revolution get tacked onto the end of a phrase, or the reformation. This is what happened with the printing press revolution. It was a breakthrough, it brought the inner ideas out in people, no longer could only a few afford to read; the whole village could be literate! When an outside stimulus affects your worldview a change is on the way. Now the whole village can read, oh people can start talking about politics, the nature of good or evil, they can unleash their own abstract thoughts on such Douglas Adams topics as life, the universe, and everything! As a plus, they can exchange those ideas with others in town. When people discover they have a voice the path to more diversification becomes a must. With the printing press leaving its prints all throughout Europe in the fourteenth century, many became intrigued with notions of beauty. This beauty was inspired by the human mind, this was a renaissance of the classic's! To reach back in time, seize the knowledge already there, and make it widespread for all to enjoy and be inspired by. From the renaissance grew the Humanists; who truly believed in the power of the human mind. Art, poetry, theological debate, and ethics were all inspired and revived by these Humanists. With a renewed sense of 'faith' theological supermen like Martin Luther were able to eloquently point out the many flaws of the Catholic church. This lead to more paradigm shifting thus creating the Protestant Reformation. Its like a snowflake creating an avalanche, a butterfly making a hurricane. One thing leads to another, and before you know it humanity has once again shook its own foundation.

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