Petrarca, the man who coined the "Middle Ages" and started the Renaissance.

This is a lecture about a chapter of my world history book called:
"In Search of the Sublime - A world history of humanity's relentless pursuit of scientific truth, moral excellence, and enlightenment."
Read the book for FREE at:
worldhistorybook.com
Kind regards,
Stephan P. Dinkgreve
MSc Theoretical Physics
Amsterdam

[@proalvinyt8683]

you got my subs great content 🎉

[@Stephans_History_of_the_World]

Thanks!

[@LuisAldamiz]

From what you say, the most important aspect of Petrarca's insight is anti-scholasticism, which is IMO fundamental even today (authoritarianism is the worst enemy of science, no matter that Petrarch put humanities first).
While I understand why you call Petrarch "arrogant", it's clear that he was proud and somehow certain about his place in history in a way that may seem "arrogant" but that's maybe rather the rightful pride of a god (and I use this word in a Pantheistic sense in which we are all gods or slices of God, even those ignoramuses of academia chanting the miracles of non-existent phoenix birds and even lions with their countable manes). I can't blame a man (or woman or lioness) who is aware of their role in History, a "great wizard" has the right and even maybe the duty to be proud (with due caution, I guess).
In any case, very interesting: subbed.

[@Stephans_History_of_the_World]

Thanks for the careful viewing!!
There was no need, I guess, for him to write a fictional work in which he let Homer fortell his later birth haha (the book in which he does this did not do well either, by the way) and then at the same time claim earthly achievements are worthless in the eyes of God.
But yeah, I'm the first to admit that he was a genius.
And about the anti-scholasticism --- you are right, it is against authoritarianism and for thinking for yourself. Love it!

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@Stephans_History_of_the_World - Well, in those days my Italian ancestors, who were some lowly knights from Ferrara, had professional heralds to make up stories contradicting Homer and claiming that Hector actually survived and is my ancestor by mother side. So I guess Petrarca was at least on the side of allowing Homer to be right even if far-fetchedly.
I haven't read his fictional conversation with Augustine of Hippo but, from what you say, it seems he had internal contradictions as in "ego vs superego" or something like that, right?
By "authoritarianism" I meant in this context "blind adherence to authority", so I was using it as synonim of scholasticism. But fair enough: it is a very generic authoritarian thing anyhow.