Humanism is the term generally applied to the predominant social philosophy and intellectual and literary currents of the period from 1400 to 1650. The return to favor of the pagan classics stimulated the philosophy of secularism, the appreciation of worldly pleasures, and above all intensified the assertion of personal independence and individual expression. Zeal for the classics was a result as well as a cause of the growing secular view of life. Expansion of trade, growth of …showed first 75 words of 2168 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2168 total… class, corporation, and tradition, has, for better or worse, had a tremendous influence upon the subsequent history of Europe (The Interpretation of Renaissance Humanism 17). This can be seen from the lessening of the grip of feudalism during and after the Renaissance. Indeed, it was during the humanist era that the freedom of individual expression and opposition to authority was first brought to the surface and became an integral part of the western intellectual tradition.