The spirit of the Renaissance was a direct rebellion against the teachings of the Middle Ages. While the Middle Ages had emphasized the study of God, the Renaissance emphasized the study of people. While the Middle Ages stressed living a disciplined life, forgoing earthly pleasures in order to secure a place in heaven, the Renaissance stressed exploring the pleasures of this life in order to secure a better life on earth. These earthly pleasures included not only mere sensual appreciation of eating, drinking, and sexual activity but also the pursuit of a broad education, the appreciation of art, and living a moral life. Those who embraced this philosophy, which they adapted from the ancient Greek and Roman writers, were called "humanists."

This new humanist attitude of celebration was in part a reaction to the many catastrophes, from war to disease, that marked...