The invention of moveable type by Bi Sheng in China in the early part of the 11th century and the later development in 1439 by Johannes Gutenberg of his own device for producing manuscripts at an accelerated rate relative to the age-old method of hand-copying texts revolutionized European societies. For the first time in human history, information could be disseminated on a mass scale—all things being relative—and this development allowed for the dissemination of ideas that changed the world. Gutenberg’s invention and his use of moveable type to produce Bibles presaged the later use of the printing press by Martin Luther as part of the latter’s enormously consequential role in facilitating the Reformation. As European history is inseparable from the evolution of organized religion, the importance of the printing press to that history cannot, then, be overstated.
Humans take for granted today the instantaneous dissemination of information, whether through texting, email, telephone or transmittal of video imaging. This was not, obviously, always the case. Until the invention of the printing press, documents had to be painstakingly transcribed by hand. Widespread distribution of the written word or drawn image, therefore, was physically extremely limited. [Today, the Jewish Torah, the holy text believed to be handed down by God, is still written as it was thousands of years ago, by hand on special parchment.] Martin Luther understood that, for his declaration of war against the Church’s practices to take hold, his objections to those practices had to be disseminated as widely as possible. The printing press was the instrument by which he accomplished that objective. The resulting Protestant Reformation, of course, represented one of the seminal events in European history and the effects continue to be felt today.
In addition to the distribution of religious texts and arguments, the invention of the printing press facilitated the development of academia in general by allowing for the far greater availability of scientific texts as well as of literature. Information and ideas were more widely shared which allowed for greater levels of intellectual discourse which, in turn, provided for greater mass involvement in society. A population more exposed to alternative theories or ideas is a population less disposed to accept unquestionably the portraits of reality dictated from above, the “above” mainly meaning monarchs and myriad societal elites. In short, then, the invention of the printing press had enormous ramifications for European societies.
https://medium.com/@RossAlTejada/movable-type-the-very-first-printer-and-a-brief-look-at-its-history-4228bde57e9a
https://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/reformation/role-of-printing
The invention of the printing press not only changed Europe, it changed the world. For the first time in the world's history, documents could now be mass produced and distributed throughout the region. Before Gutenberg created the printing press, all documents had to be crafted by hand, which meant that creating just one document would take a tremendous amount of time. In the same way Ford's later creation of the assembly line revolutionized the way vehicles (and for that matter any type of machinery) were produced and distributed, the printing press revolutionized books. Knowledge and ideas could freely circulate throughout Europe as never before. It is no coincidence that just 80 years after its invention (and the distribution of the Bible throughout Europe), the Protestant Reformation and break from the Catholic Church would occur. As more and more people were able to read and interpret the Bible for themselves, the Catholic Church's power would greatly decline. Eventually the distribution of ideas would lead to a great many people breaking from the church and, down the road, the Age of Enlightenment.
The invention of the printing press had a big impact on Europe. Before the printing press was invented, documents had to be written by hand, often by scribes. This was a very time-consuming process. Once the printing press was invented, it was possible to spread information very quickly and more accurately. This helped to educate the public about various topics.
More materials that were now being printed weren’t religious in nature. Prior to the printing press, a lot of materials that were written dealt with religious topics. Many of the scribes worked for the Church. Thus, the materials that were written tended to be religious in nature. After the printing press was developed, more materials dealing with science were published. Scientists could more accurately and more quickly share information with each other. This helped lead to advances in science. The development of the printing press led to less censorship of materials. Since materials were being published by groups or individuals not connected with the Church, the Church had less ability to control what was being published and the information that was being made available to the public.
The printing press had a tremendous impact on Europe.
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