While much of the literature of the medieval period emphasizes religion, works by Renaissance writers such as Dante and Petrarch emphasize the dignity and worth of the individual, a philosophy known as

Humanism, the philosophy where Renaissance writers emphasize the dignity and worth of individual. The basic idea of humanism is the rationality of human beings who possess the capacity to know the truth and goodness. Through humanism, the study of the works of the Romans and Greeks came possible.