Identify the key features of humanism and explain how it differs from traditional medieval thought. Do you think the Renaissance represents a revolutionary change in European thought and culture? Why or why not? Use specific details from your research to support your statements. Remember to cite your sources.

Humanism was the dominant philosophical conception of the Renaissance. It represents a sea change in European thought, especially when juxtaposed with the Middle Ages. Certainly, the idea of the human being in Western thought is not solely the purview of Renaissance thinkers. The Greeks in classical antiquity certainly promoted humanistic ideas but not on the same scale and with the degree of influence we see among Renaissance thinkers. Humanistic thinkers argued for the centrality of the human being. As opposed to medieval thinkers, God or the supernatural was subordinate rather than superior to humankind. Reason and human experience took precedence over superstition or speculation. Human beings, all of them, had certain rights. This idea becomes enshrined in universal declarations of human rights. Civil laws are derived by consensual agreement among all concerned parties and must promote the common good and groups are not entitled to special treatment based on religious or philosophical beliefs. Most of these beliefs were the polar opposite for medieval thinkers. The notion of God's superiority, religious and classical hierarchy and church dogma permeated the laws, social, cultural and economic structures of the Middle Ages. Humanism placed humankind in the driver's seat.