The End of the Renaissance

[Aetius]

I am a bit curious about which explanations that have been given on the causes of the end of the renaissance. A part of the problem is, as usual, that there is no common and consistent view of what the Renaissance actually was and when it started and finished.
I have heard of two events that dealt blows to renaissance and might have caused its death.
The emergence of literary criticism which undermined the authority of the ancient texts by proving some to be forgeries.
The split of the Catholic church by Martin Luther.

 

[Hamilcar]

I think the definitions of 'Late Middle Ages', 'Renaissance' and 'Enlightenment' are so fluid and ill-defined, no single event really marks the end of one and the beginning of the next.

However, I think that Luther and the Reformation are defining event during the change from one period to the next.

 

[Dark Knight]

Originally posted by Aetius
I am a bit curious about which explanations that have been given on the causes of the end of the renaissance. A part of the problem is, as usual, that there is no common and consistent view of what the Renaissance actually was and when it started and finished.

Which Renaissance? There are so many to choose from.

 

[Aetius]

I was thinking about the Renaissance initiated in Italy in the 15th century which then spread from there to the rest of Europe.

 

[Dark Knight]

Originally posted by Aetius
I am a bit curious about which explanations that have been given on the causes of the end of the renaissance. A part of the problem is, as usual, that there is no common and consistent view of what the Renaissance actually was and when it started and finished.

Well, the Renaissance doesn't really end, it just transforms into a different (artificial) period of history.

I have heard of two events that dealt blows to renaissance and might have caused its death.
The emergence of literary criticism which undermined the authority of the ancient texts by proving some to be forgeries.

This can't have caused the end of the Renaissance since it was an important part of it. Most famously, Lorenzo Valla proved that the Donation of Constantine was a forgery in 1440, well before the end of the Italian Renaissance (by any standard).

The split of the Catholic church by Martin Luther.

This did occur at about the accepted end of the Italian Renaissance---but the Northern Renaissance was still going strong and the Elizabethan Renaissance in England hadn't even started yet, so as usual it all depends on what terms you choose. The Reformation is normally considered the next period of general European history after the Renaissance.

 

[Aetius]

I was think on the lines of the proof of that the Corpus Hermeticum was a compilation of gnostic texts from 200-300 AD rather than a pre-Moses profet.
As I have understood it the renaissance when it comes to literature is sometimes regarded as an "anything goes" period whereby ancient writings, regardless of their merit, were taken at face value. When the infactuation ended the renaissance ended...
When it comes to northern Europe wouldn't the end of Eramus and More mark the end of the period there?

 

[Aetius]

Originally posted by Dark Knight

Well, the Renaissance doesn't really end, it just transforms into a different (artificial) period of history.

Well most classifications fail somewhere, but without classifications or generalisations where would you start?

 

[Hamilcar]

Originally posted by Aetius


Well most classifications fail somewhere, but without classifications or generalisations where would you start?

That's the dilemma, isn't it?

btw, you live in Tokyo?
mati no naka de toukyou ga itiban suki desu.

 

[Aetius]

Shinagawa to Meguro no aida no Osaki de sunderu. To put in another way:
•i?ì‚Æ–Ú?•‚ÌŠÔ‚Ì‘å?è‚É?Z‚ñ‚Å‚é?B

 

[Hamilcar]

Originally posted by Aetius
Shinagawa to Meguro no aida no Osaki de sunderu. To put in another way:
•i?ì‚Æ–Ú?•‚ÌŠÔ‚Ì‘å?è‚É?Z‚ñ‚Å‚é?B

hee, ii desu nee. kyonen itigatukan okazaki ni nihongo wo benkyousimasita. sorekara, daigaku ni ni gakkikan nihongo no jyugyou wo torimasita kedo, watasi ha nihongo ga jouzu jya nai.

Aetius san, nihonjin desu ka.

 

[Aetius]

No I am Swedish...

 

[Hamilcar]

I see.
What made you go to Japan?

 

[Aetius]

I have a theory about knowledge development: the best place to develop new ideas lie on the interfaces of separate fields of knowledge. So I have basically tried to learn as much as possible about everything.
It then struck me that the place which is the most used "interface" of business cultures and ideas is the USA so the obvious thing for me, as a European, is to go to Japan since the ideas that have been developed here are hardly ever directly "ported" to Europe without going via the US first.
So I was and am hoping get some ideas about what can be done in Europe or in Japan by using my experinces from Japan and Europe.