Outer Beauty Inner Joy

During the Renaissance in Italy, philosophers combined their present day values and worldview with the works and thoughts of the ancient world, forging an inclusive, syncretic philosophy. All had one idea in mind: to find the truth and to represent it in both words and form. Experience, not doctrine, became the foundation in the individual's search for autonomy. They believed that the divine essence had entered the world as beauty, and, that by the contemplation of this beauty, humans could ascend to its Source. In returning to the Renaissance for inspiration, perhaps we can find a sense of renewal for our time.