Theocentrism is the doctrine that considers God the center of the entire Universe and responsible for creating everything in it. This philosophy was widely held in the Middle Ages and based on the precepts of the Bible.
For theocentrists, the so-called "divine desire" was considered superior to any human will or rationality. In this way, any kind of thought that was not considered sacred was sinful, like human pleasure, for example.
O medieval theocentrism he regarded the Christian Bible and God as the only truths in the entire universe. Any kind of empiricist or scientific idea was strongly repressed by the church at the time, causing the theocentric mentality to remain strong in the population for centuries.
Etymologically, theocentrism is formed from the Greek theos, which means "God", and kentron, which means "center".
In opposition to theocentrism, the doctrine anthropocentric, a concept that highlights the importance and value of human beings in the world, as a being endowed with intelligence and the ability to change the environment around them.
Characteristics of theocentrism
- Religion wielded absolute power;
- God was considered the center of the Universe and everything in it;
- Empirical and scientific thoughts were repressed and regarded as heresies;
- Geocentric model - Earth as the center of the solar system;
- Proper of monotheistic religions - Christianity, for example.
Theocentrism and Anthropocentrism
As said, during the Middle Ages theocentrism was the doctrine that dominated the world. Religion and the idea that God was the center of the Universe had a great influence on the life of the population at that time.
But with the emergence of renaissance humanism and from other social, philosophical and historical transformations that Europe witnessed from the 16th century onwards, the idea of anthropocentrism was born (anthropos "human" and kentron "center").
Learn more about Humanism.
One of the main milestones for the development of anthropocentrism was the Copernicus' Heliocentrism, which considered the theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun, the latter being the center of the solar system.
Copernicus's theory (1473 - 1543) was totally opposed to the geocentric model defended by the Church in that period, which considered the Earth as the center of the solar system.
Heliocentrism, combined with the crisis of the Middle Ages, the Church and the beginning of the great maritime navigations was very important for changing the mentality of the European population. Gradually, as a result of this, people began to question themselves more about issues related to human beings, developing and strengthening philosophical, cultural and artistic aspects.
Learn more about Anthropocentrism.