In fact, the most significant difference between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages is "where God had previously been the centre, Man now takes this place" (Dresden 13). Man in now the focal point of the world and he is the "centre of all that is taking place" (12). The most "corrosive impact" (Cameron 73) that the Renaissance had on medieval Christianity came from the thinker who was as "devoutly, intelligently, and consciously committed to Christian faith as could be" (73). Erasmus took the humanists' textual criticism, moral values, and belief in education and applied them uncompromisingly to theology" (73). Another significant difference between the two movements is that the humanists "showed a fresh and, one might say, unprejudiced interest in ancient texts and that they had an almost insatiable curiosity about unknown interests" (19). Humanism is important to the Renaissance because it allowed man to look at himself for answers instead of looking to outside influences. In short, mankind suddenly had enough faith in himself to trust his own instincts and inclinations to be worthy of consideration. Looking inward produced many writers and philosophers that expressed personal opinions about humanism or the nature of the human and humanity's role not just on earth but in the universe. Sem Dresden notes that...

We can see how this is true with the works of Michelangelo and di Vinci. They were men that explored the inner man to create, design, and explore the world.
Humanism was a significant factor in the Renaissance because it influenced a new way of thinking that literally changed the world. Without the humanistic way of thinking, the Renaissance would not have been the same. The idea that man might have some of his own answers regarding his place in the universe was not unique but suddenly serious. Man could look at himself and finally consider his own thoughts and ideas. Writers, educators, and philosophers grabbed hold of this notion and paved the way for a new generation where man was the center of all. Humanism was liberating and refreshing and it helped stabilize Renaissance thought. The humanist orientation of the Renaissance is a critical one that helps define not only a movement but also a way of life that lingers still today.

Works Cited

Cameron, Euan. Early Modern Europe. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Dresden, Sem. Humanism in the Renaissance. New York: World University Press, 1968.

Todorov, Tzvetan. Imperfect Garden: The…