Renaissance Man, or "polymath" (universal man) - a fully developed person who has many skills and is an expert in several scientific disciplines.
Determination appeared largely thanks to the outstanding artists and great thinkers and scholars of the European Renaissance (since about 1450).Michelangelo Buonarroti, Galileo Galilei, Copernicus, Miguel Servet, Leon Battista Alberti, Isaac Newton - is the most important names of people who are researchers in several fields of science and art.But perhaps the most striking representative of the true Renaissance man -Leonardo da Vinci.He was an artist, engineer, anatomist, was interested in many other disciplines and has achieved great success in their studies.
term "polymath" preceded the Renaissance, it comes from the Greek word «polymathes», which can be translated as "the master of many knowledge" - an idea that was extremely important to Plato and Aristotle, the great thinkers of the ancient world.
Leon Battista Alberti said: "People can do everything, if they want to."This idea embodies the basic principles of humanism of the Renaissance, it is determined that the individual is limitless in its possibilities and development.Of course, the term "Renaissance man" should refer only to the gifted individuals who have tried to develop their skills in all areas of knowledge in the arts, physical development, as opposed to other people who lived in that era, largely represented poorly educated society.
Many people who get education, to the position sought "universal rights" .They are constantly engaged in self-improvement, they have received development opportunities, foreign language study, conducted research to understand and explain the philosophical problems, appreciate art, play sports (improvedyour body).At an early stage, when all define the concept, educated people have access to a lot of knowledge - the works of Greek thinkers and philosophers (many works were lost in the next century).In addition, a man of the Renaissance was the successor of the traditions of chivalry.Knights of the early Middle Ages, as you know, people were literate, to understand the poetry and the arts, have good manners, had personal independence (excluding duties to the feudal rulers).A human right to freedom -Home theme of true humanism of the Renaissance.
To some extent, humanism is not a philosophy, and research methods.Humanists believed that the man in the Renaissance should come to the end of his life with a beautiful mind and a great body.All this can be achieved by constantly learning and improving.The main goal of humanity was to create a universal person who combines intellectual and physical superiority.
rediscovery of ancient texts and the invention of printing democratized learning and allowed to spread ideas quickly.In the early Renaissance, especially the development of the humanities received.However, the works of Nicholas of Cusa (1450) prior to the heliocentric worldview of Copernicus, put to some extent beginning science.Still, the science and art of the Renaissance (as a discipline) were mixed at the beginning of the era.A striking example of this - the great genius Leonardo da Vinci, who is a prominent painter, he also called the father of modern science.
