e, and were mostly concentrated in the monasteries. Thus, apart from monks and scholars, most people were largely unaware of classical pagan writings. With the invention of the printing press, however, books became cheaper and more widely available. People from various levels of society, from the aristocrats to the newly prosperous merchants, could now obtain books. They began to study ancient Greek and Roman writings on science, government, rhetoric, philosophy, and art. This rediscovery of classical texts sparked a fascination with the classical past and contributed to the development of all forms of art. Classical philosophy soon influenced Renaissance thought and brought about a greater emphasis on humanity and personal independence.
             During the Middle Ages, feudalism and the Church suppressed individual thought. People were not encouraged to think for themselves, but to simply accept the judgments of religious and feudal authorities. In the Renaissance, however, Humanism, a new philosophical movement, shifted intellectual emphasis away from theology and logic to specifically human studies. Humanists were mainly concerned with the human place in God's plan. They stressed the dignity of humanity and the importance of intellectual freedom and individual expression. Such thinkers as Pico della Mirandola argued that humans were rational beings that possessed the capacity to make their own decisions. Raphael's "School of Athens" is considered to be the very embodiment of this new Renaissance way of thinking. It is an exaltation of Truth achieved not through divine inspiration, but through reason. The "School of Athens" is part of a series of frescoes located within the pope's private chambers in the Vatican Palace. When Julius II was elected pope in November of 1503, he refused to live in the same apartments that his predecessor and bitter enemy, Alexander VI, had previously occupied. Rather, he moved to the upper floo...