Philosophy of the Renaissance

Northern European Humanism

Between the 15th and 16th centuries, humanist ideas spread across nearly all of Europe, with the northern part of the continent emerging as its center. Just as Petrarch was the "master of thought" for European intellectuals in the 14th century, so too did the Dutch philosopher Erasmus of Rotterdam become in the 16th century.

Erasmus (Desiderius) of Rotterdam, born Gerhard Gerhards (1469-1536) as an illegitimate son of a priest and his servant, began his life as a monk but ascended to the heights of world culture through diligent effort. He was known for his unprecedented work ethic; it seemed he wrote only when he was not asleep. He composed his works in Latin and is regarded by scholars as the most prominent Latinist of the Renaissance, widely recognized as a leader of humanism.

Erasmus referred to his teaching as the "philosophy of Christ." He understood Christianity as the culmination of the finest achievements of humanity, including pagan culture. Thus, the "philosophy of Christ" appears broader than the official interpretation of Christian theology. Furthermore, his philosophy allows no room for asceticism. The world is created as good and beautiful, and humanity, too, is fashioned beautifully. A normal person, by imitating Christ, is capable of elevating themselves to the ideals articulated in the Scriptures, which must be made accessible to the people through translation into the languages of nations. In this way, Erasmus laid the groundwork for the Reformation. He took pride in bringing philosophy down from the heavens to earth, reducing it to games, discussions, and banquets, asserting that "even the amusements of Christians should have a flavor of philosophy."

Erasmus was a renowned satirist, the author of the famous "Praise of Folly." His satire also targeted the scholastics, suggesting that their intricate arguments spun such a dense web that "it is easier to escape from a labyrinth than from the traps of realists, nominalists, Thomists, Albertists, Occamists, Scotists, and others." The skeptical themes present in Erasmus’s work aimed to diminish the self-assurance of the scholastics.

In moral matters, Erasmus supported the ancient wise men's formula of "nothing in excess." Only a sense of moderation can guide a person along the single true path of life. Yet, traversing this path is challenging due to the profound contradictions inherent in all things: "First of all, it is beyond doubt that anything has two faces, much like Alcibiades’ Sileni, and these faces are far from resembling one another. On the surface, it seems like death; peer within, and you will see life, and conversely, beneath life lurks death, beneath beauty lies ugliness, beneath abundance is pitiful poverty, beneath disgrace is glory, beneath learning is ignorance, beneath power is destitution, beneath nobility lies baseness, beneath cheerfulness is sorrow, beneath success is failure, and beneath friendship is enmity." Thus, in life, everything is divided into opposites, with the boundaries between them being very tenuous, and only the principle of "nothing in excess" enables us to discern these boundaries and cautiously navigate through life.