Thursday, January 8, 2015
Humanism and the Nobodies
In class we briefly discussed humanism during the Renaissance. We discussed that during this time people became more aware of and concerned with individual accomplishments. Individuals became more important as individuals, and not as part of larger whole. I thought to myself about how, outside of characters from the Bible, I know the names of very few individuals who lived before the Renaissance who were not royalty. This may be simply because the farther back we go in history the less we know about the people then, but I wonder if it has to do with this trend of humanism during the Renaissance. It almost seems strange or out of place when I read details about regular folks who lived b.c.e. Is this just me, or does anyone else think similarly?
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I'm in the same boat! Well, history's just not my forte at all, but I too find it odd to think of everyone else who lived during those times. It also becomes a bit overwhelming when you think of all the family history work that has to be done for everyone who wasn't on some kind of record. I'd imagine the poorer people didn't record their family histories the way the nobles and royals did, right?
ReplyDeleteI totally have thought about this too. I just wonder where the every man fits into history. Where do I fit into history? Good post!
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