The Renaissance and the Enlightenment are two significant periods in world history, specifically in European history. Both periods have distinctive characteristics but share the notion of being periods of discovery in many aspects of life and living in this world. Each period has its own set of beliefs – values – ideals or “worldview”, which can be thought as a framework of principles through which people interpret the world, how society should be shaped and the need to progress on a journey that improves their individual and collective worth. It is a commonly held view that the Renaissance focus was on the artistic side of human life, whereas the Enlightenment concentrated on the intellectual development for mankind. The Enlightenment worldview contributed a great deal to today’s modern world. The following essay will review this view and provide commentary as to the acceptance of this thesis and how it manifests in the present to then address the question presented in the title to demonstrate that the Enlightenment is indeed a continuation of mankind’s cultural development and as such can be regarded as progress on that journey. …show more content…
This period gave significant contributions to many disciplines, mostly in the arts like music, painting, architecture, poetry, drama, as well as philosophy and astronomy. There was an increase of thought and production in terms of the arts, culture, and the development of intellectual thought in politics and consideration of the natural world. The worldview of the Renaissance was the humanistic worldview with an emphasis on the power and capacity of the individual and the value of society, literacy, and education, which became powerful tools for discovery and understanding of the