CHAPTER I. THE CHARACTERISTICS AND DIVISIONS OF THE MODERN PERIOD 1 THE DIFFICULTY IN THE STUDY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY 1 THE PERIODS OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY 2 THE CAUSES OF THE DECAY OF THE CIVILIZATION OF THE MIDDLE AGES 4 (a) _The Internal Causes_ 4 (1) The Intellectual Methods were Self-Destructive 4 (2) The Standard of Truth became a Double Standard 5 (3) The Development of Mysticism 5 (4) The Doctrine of Nominalism 5 (b) _The External Causes_ 6 CHAPTER II. THE RENAISSANCE (1453–1690) 8 THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE RENAISSANCE 8 (a) _The New Man of the Renaissance_ 8 (b) _The New Universe of the Renaissance_ 9 (1) The Transformation of the Physical Universe 9 (2) The Restoration of the World of Antiquity 10 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RENAISSANCE IN HISTORY 11 MAP SHOWING THE DECENTRALIZATION OF EUROPE 13 THE TWO PERIODS OF THE RENAISSANCE: THE HUMANISTIC (1453–1600); THE NATURAL SCIENCE (1600–1690) 15 (a) _The Similarities of the Two Periods_ 16 (b) _The Differences of the Two Periods_ 16 (1) The Countries which participate in the Renaissance differ in the Two Periods 16 (2) The Intellectual Standards differ in the Two Periods 17 (3) The Scientific Methods in the Two Periods were Different 18 (4) The Attitude of the Church toward Science differs in the Two Periods 19 A BRIEF CONTRAST OF THE TWO PERIODS――A SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSION ABOVE 21 CHAPTER III. THE HUMANISTIC PERIOD OF THE RENAISSANCE (1453–1600) 22 THE LONG LIST OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE HUMANISTIC PERIOD 22 NICOLAS OF CUSA (1401–1464) 24 PARACELSUS (1493–1541) 25 GIORDANO BRUNO (1548–1600) 27 MAP SHOWING THE BIRTHPLACES OF THE CHIEF PHILOSOPHERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 30