Humanism, a philosophy that developed during the Renaissance, stressed the value of each human being. In Medieval Europe, each person was thought of as part of a large system, having a single purpose. In accordance with most Renaissance thinking, Humanism defied or rejected the previous way of thinking and glorified the individual. It became manifest in the art and writing of the time, as humor, emotion, and human expression replaced much of the strictly spiritual aspects of Medieval works. More broadly, though, Humanism led to the acceptance and eventually valuing of each person's thoughts and ideas.
Praise of
Folly (Erasmus)
Canterbury Tales
(Geoffrey Chaucer)
Decameron
(Giovanni Boccacio)
Utopia
(Thomas More)