Distinguishes the Renaissance From the Middle Ages

¶ … distinguishes the Renaissance from the Middle Ages lies in the sociological movements that defines each era. While there are certainly differences in almost every aspect of life - from art to theology - the two eras share common ground in that without one, there would not exist the other. The era of feudalism that dominated the Middle Ages formed civilizations, communities and bonded like-minded families together. Territorial boundaries were drawn and each nation began creating it's own identity.

Identities that were largely dependent upon location which determined agricultural capabilities, architecture, religion, and to some extent, leadership structure. From this sense of community and working for the good of the people and the government that oversees that community, came the individuality and the humanistic values that dominated the Renaissance. With roots well-planted and generations of families growing up in the same house, in the same country, doing the same thing their forefathers had done for two centuries or more before them, a sense of stability was provided.

This gave people the foothold to challenge themselves, stereotypes and the powers-that-be. The age of exploration was born. Overall, the greatest difference between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance could be determined to be individualistic attitude. On a smaller scale, this shift had a dramatic effect on almost every aspect of life. Instead of just assuming an apprenticeship with one's father or following in mother's footsteps, people became more observant of their surroundings and more willing to take risks to witness more of the world.

The knowledge that was then gained was then more readily shared with the advent of the printing press. Learning was no longer for nobles alone. This also opened up the doors to learn about other cultures. Shared information and improved communication lead to increased curiosity which lead to diversified thought about religion. Fatalism and the thought that God or gods control everything fell away to reason and logic. People became aware that their own course of action largely affected their daily lives.

This era of mind expansion also influenced artists who explored new boundaries. In place of the two-dimensional symbolistic design that is emblematic of the Middle Ages, much more depth and perspective was employed by the imaginative creators of the Renaissance era. This was also evident in aural artistic represenations as well as visual and tangible works of art. Although the Middle Ages was immediately followed by the Renaissance, these two time periods are vastly different and embody their own characteristics.

Should a Renaissance man have been dropped into medieval times, he would have been thought insane. Likewise, if a woman from the Middle Ages had been dropped into the Renaissance era, she would have thought either she or the rest of the world had gone mad. Today's society is made up entirely of bits and pieces of history. Even as we forge into the Information Revolution with cellular telephones, magnetic resonance imaging and genetic cloning, Western civilization can not forget all that has precluded our existence.

Our earliest ancestors could likely be our greatest heroes. Without their discovery of fire, we would have no heat. Without their ambitions to make life a bit easier and more productive, we would have never learned to make and use tools, or even basic survival and communication skills. And we certainly wouldn't have much of a transportation industry, or any industry at all, had the wheel not rolled out of the Neolithic Age. As the ages progressed, so did human development.

In a sense the Early Church era could be considered an extended period of refinement. Individual roles became defined - leaders guided, workers provided and new roles were created. Tools were improved and as a result living quarters became more resilient. Relationships between objects were explored in forms of measurement, which resulted in mathematical equations, time tracking, early medicine and monetary systems. Communication found common ground and became far more useful and effective. Improvements on the basic necessities for human existence continued to dominate the Middle Ages.

Political systems took hold and instead of one governing an entire land, power was more evenly spread (although not always wisely so). Learning and education began to gain ground. The purposeful intention of passing on information to perpetuate society was initially a novel concept that grew to a.