Question

Elaborate one major contribution of the Renaissance era (Ch. 16) that has the greatest impact on the 21^st Century?

the humanistic tradition early modern world

Answer 1

The Renaissance, the social, economic, science and intellectual boom in Europe between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, is perhaps the most profoundly important era in human development since the fall of ancient Rome. From its roots in Florence in the 14th century, the Renaissance spread the fluidity of its ideas across Europe, adapting and evolving in order to match local cultural thought and circumstances, while remaining true to its values.

This coincided with an exploratory, financial, marriage and diplomatic boom... And the fighting, too. As with the ancient Greeks and Romans (who were so influenced by the Renaissance), a conquering army could not only bring about a change in the government, but also a social revolution. In just about every way you might think of the Renaissance changed the world. It had some form of snowball effect: each new scientific development paved the way for further advancement.

Italy was filled with "lost" classics from the ancient world, and artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello used their legends, heroes, and gods as a starting point for the development of remarkable art. Renaissance art, though, did not just look beautiful. There was a new scientific discipline behind it: perspective was created, light and shadow was studied, and human anatomy was pounded over–all in search of a new reality and a desire to capture the world's beauty as it was.

In the Renaissance the seeds of the modern world were seeded and grown. From circumnavigating the world to discovering the solar system, from the beauty of Michelangelo's David to the perfection of Leonardo's Mona Lisa, from the genius of Shakespeare to the daring of Luther and Erasmus, and through amazing advances in science and mathematics, in this tumultuous period man achieved new heights.