Much of the current confusion regarding the character and chronological boundaries of the Renaissance arises from the fact that it has most commonly been regarded by specialists from the point of view of their own particular field of interest. What is needed at this point is, I think, a comprehensive interpretation, a synthesis that will include all aspects of Renaissance civilization, the economic, political, and social, as well as the intellectual and aesthetic. This is especially important for its bearing on the problem of causation, even in the most restricted fields. Each branch of culture may develop to a certain extent independently along lines dictated either by its own inner logic or by the contribution of individual genius, but the general direction it follows cannot be fully understood or explained without relating it to the total complex of contemporary civilization.