old lessons for new times

following in the footsteps of Renaissance humanists

This blog post has been written in collaboration with Paolo Gattavari, and we’d recommend reading this post listening to this:

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We live in a time when many people feel disoriented, bewildered, sometimes scared. Until not long ago, we enjoyed a sense of stability (did someone say history was over?), which has now given way to widespread uncertainty. A new wave of technological developments, demographic changes and an evolving geopolitical order are calling into question our way of living, working and communicating. In times of transition, whether real or perceived, people (used to) look for models to face the challenges of their day.

While several epochs have left traces to follow, mentioning the Renaissance, and the humanist movement within it, can prove to be particularly effective.

a philological mindset for a digital era

Going back to the sources of a literary work, rather than relying on later editions or commentaries, was the clarion call of the humanist movement. Driven by a renewed interest in Greek studies, fuelled by the arrival of Byzantine scholars in Renaissance Italy, as well as by the aim of reviving Latin literature beyond the Medieval canon, humanists of all European nations were relentless in their search for ancient manuscripts, which they collated and edited to uncover their accurate meaning.

By doing so, they laid the foundations of philology as a discipline and firmly established that textual rigour is the necessary basis for any further interpretation. Now more than ever, a philological mindset has its merits. As our lives are increasingly going digital, and human beings are no longer the only creators of texts and images, being meticulous in analysing and comparing different sources, looking for original texts while discarding third-hand summaries, and cultivating a critical attitude towards any document we examine are indispensable qualities to tackle the information overload characteristic of our time.

navigating different environments

Only very rarely were Renaissance humanists “academics” in the modern sense of the term, namely, university professors primarily dedicated to the pursuit and transmission of knowledge. One must not forget that universities were, by and large, dominated by the schoolmen, the intellectuals who combined Christian doctrine with Aristotelian philosophy in the search of the truth. In fact, humanists were usually diplomats, ambassadors, private tutors, advisors to people in power (consultants, we would say nowadays) and, not infrequently, they held more than one role at once.

They were “amphibious characters”, equally at ease in searching for forgotten texts across European monastic libraries and in advising a prince on how to forge diplomatic relationships with a peer or deal with a belligerent neighbour. Humanist versatility and ability to integrate theory and practice point us towards a promising direction. While it is still early to gauge the real impact of new technologies on the job market, there is very little doubt that a shift is taking place. Whether it is by choice or by necessity, careers are becoming far less linear than they used to be, a trend that is likely to accelerate as we progress in the 21st century.

Continuous learning, building strong online and offline network and improving the ability to collaborate with colleagues of different generations, educational backgrounds, mindsets and nationalities are paramount to navigating a changing work environment, ultimately making the multipassionate/polymath mindset essential.

opening new horizons

Far from only posing challenges, technological, political and societal developments may disclose unexpected possibilities, as Renaissance humanists well knew. Major changes of their time, such as the rediscovery of previously lost Latin and Greek works across a range of subjects, from literature and the arts to medicine and philosophy; closer ties with the Byzantine scholars who were heading to Italian cities to plead the cause of the Eastern Roman Empire, under increased pressure from the Ottoman Turks; and, later on, the introduction of the printing press in Europe, greatly stimulated creativity and innovation. These evolving circumstances provided humanists with a fertile ground for experimentation.

Limiting ourselves to the literary sphere, was it possible to reenact the Latin eloquence of Cicero’s dialogues in the Florentine vernacular? Fifteenth-century humanist Leon Battista Alberti thought so, and his Libri della famiglia (The Family in Renaissance Florence) bear witness to this conviction. While change can be unsettling, it also offers the opportunity to try the untried. Harmonised with a sound philological mindset, a flair for experimentation is key to opening new horizons.

the importance of self-criticism

Aware of some potential excesses inherent to their approach, such as the degeneration of knowledge into erudition, Renaissance humanists discovered a sense of self-criticism. Humanist literature is replete with satirical attacks directed not only at the (supposed) sophistry, detachment from reality and ignorance of classical literature on the part of the schoolmen - humanists’ rivals, so to speak - but at humanists themselves, when regarded as unoriginal in their literary endeavours.

Alberti, who revived the Ciceronian dialogue in the Florentine vernacular, also criticised his fellow humanists for relying overly on Cicero’s corpus in their Latin compositions. In his view, many other sources, including newly rediscovered Greek writers, could provide models for fruitful experimentation. In other words, Alberti warned against the transformation of humanism from a creative force to the slavish imitation of a restricted circle of authors. No movement, school of thought or organisation can stand the test of time without a certain dose of self-criticism. This was true in Renaissance Europe as it is today. Questioning our certainties and direction of travel is a necessary, though painful, exercise.

a humanist compass

While there is never a single recipe to deal with uncertainty, a glance back at Renaissance humanism, a complex, multifaceted movement with different souls but some shared traits, may help us find clarity. The principle of examining any text critically, returning ad fontes, to its sources, is of the essence as the boundaries between human and machine-generated knowledge are blurring.

Developing the flexibility required to work across different environments - overcoming cultural, generational or technological barriers - and committing to continuous learning are defining features as new jobs emerge, old ones disappear and careers become less linear. Being open to experimentation, within reason, and having the courage to question our own work, recognising when a redirection is needed, is what makes any project worthy of being pursued.

When grappling with uncertainty, a humanist compass provides valuable support.

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This blog post has been written in collaboration with Paolo Gattavari, thank you so much for reading it!

The Modern Renaissance is a community for multipassionate people and generalists who want to broaden their horizons and keep discovering across multiple disciplines. It’s a place to create, discover, meet like-minded people, and see what happens when you bring them all together.

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