Renaissance Christian Humanist vs. Machiavellian world views

1. Renaissance Christian Humanistvs. Machiavellian world views

2. Great Chain of Being • Belief structure from middle ages • Came from Ptolemaic system with earth at the center • Hierarchical system with God and angels above, man in the middle, and animals, plants, minerals on the bottom. • Within each species, same hierarchy, with King on the top, then nobles, moneyed middle-class, then peasants

3. Great Chain of Being • System of Order, corresponding with belief in predestination, God has plan for world • Order can be thrown into chaos if hierarchy not adhered to, if subjects rebel against monarch, sons against fathers • Suggests everyone has purpose or role in life, should use reason and/or to find and fulfill purpose

4. Humanist views • To the Christian belief system, the Renaissance added the Humanist beliefs of self-determinism. • There was still an Ideal beyond the world as we know it, but we were to strive to reach that Ideal (or at least be worthy of it) • Thus two supposed opposites, predestination and free will, were combined in the Renaissance Christian Humanist belief system • The Renaissance Christian Humanist’s purpose was to make of himself his ideal Self

5. Humanist beliefs • There is an Ideal Love (capital “L”) which is only possible in a timeless world of no change • Our real world love (lower case “l”) is an imperfect reflection of that Ideal Love; it shows us what to strive for, though we cannot achieve it • The same is true of Identity: there is an ideal person we could be, the perfect Self • The real world self is weak and sinful but by striving to be a better person, using his reason and faith, he can work toward his potential Self

6. Language • Renaissance Christian Humanist -- poetry • Metaphoric or figurative language used to illustrate place in hierarchies • Since Sun and King are on top of their respective groups, they are joined together through metaphor Metaphoric or figurative language used to illustrate place in hierarchies • Machiavellian – prose • Scientific, logical language used to show importance of reason

7. King Nobles Professionals Trade workers Peasants Great Chain of Beingsystem of analogy • Sun • Moon • Planets • Stars • fire • air • water • earth • Lion • Leopard • Fox • Squirrel • Yellow bile • Blood • Phlegm • Black Bile • Angels • Man • Animals • Plants • Minerals • Reason, will (head/brain) • Fancy, emotion (trunk/heart) • Five senses (leg/liver)

8. Tutor Myth • History as mirror, moral lesson • Great Chain of Being defines man’s existance • Nature understood through Bible • Language of analogy • State microcosm of Divine world • Divine Right of Kings • Time and change moving toward perfection; vertical concept of time • Identity is temporal role moving toward spiritual essence (Ideal Self).

9. Machiavellian World View • History natural cycle • No overarching plan, chance or fortune only • Nature understood through science, reason • Language is scientific, logical • State/politics based on power not right (privilege or correctness) • Time and change cyclical, not advancing • Identity plural, who we are in which situation or time, we can play many roles