Studies on Renaissance Humanism during the last Twenty Years

Abstract

Since humanism has been traditionally considered as one of the chief intellectual movements of the Renaissance period, it should probably not cause any surprise that humanism in recent years has had the dubious distinction of becoming as much of a historical problem as the Renaissance itself has been for some time. As a matter of fact, the concept of humanism is of comparable complexity, and if we choose to extend it beyond the chronological limits of the Renaissance period, it is almost equally broad. Humanism can be, and has been, defined in a variety of ways, and we might very well take the view that any definition is acceptable provided it is explicitly formulated, the range of its application is clearly indicated, and its original meaning is consistently maintained, especially if the definition seems to have some relevance or validity for the phenomena which it is intended to describe.