Question

Western culture in the period 1300–1550 more: the Black Death’s emphasis on the afterlife (the hereafter) or the Renaissance’s emphasis on human achievement (the here and now)? Choose one of these and explain your perspective. Start with a statement identifying your choice; this is your thesis. Then, support your choice with specific examples from at least three of the following categories: significant individuals (e.g., political or religious leaders, innovators, explorers); characteristics of worldview (e.g., philosophy, religion); social institutions (e.g., social mores, practices, hierarchies); patronage (discuss the patrons, their motives, influence, and resulting products or artifacts); the economies (e.g., changes, different economic systems, impact); and politics (e.g., forms of governance, power distributions, contests).

Answer 1

One of the most significant contributions of Western culture to the world during these years is that of the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a new artistic, philosophical, and political movement that changed the way in which Europe thought about itself and the world. The Renaissance emphasized the importance of the individual, and that of human experience, as opposed to the afterlife. This led to the study of humanity and human experience. An example of a Renaissance thinker is Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci studied humanity with an anatomical and physiological approach. However, he also looked at humanity from an artistic and emotional perspective. Many artists and thinkers such as Da Vinci were only able to complete their work due to the support of patrons. Patrons were wealthy people who invested their money in financing the works of artists, thinkers and other people of talent.