Education and Humanism

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During the Renaissance, humanism played a huge role in education.[1] Humanists - proponents or practitioners of humanism during the Renaissance - believed that human beings could be dramatically changed by education. The Humanists of the Renaissance created schools to teach their ideas and wrote books all about education. One of the most profound and important[citation needed] schools was established and created by Vittorino da Feltre in 1423.[2] The school was in Mantua, which is a small Italian state. The ruler of Mantua had always wanted to provide a humanist education for his children,[2] and the school was a way to help him.

Most[vague] of Feltre's ideas were based on those of previous classical authors, such as Cicero and Quintilian. The main foundation of the school was liberal studies. Liberal arts were viewed as the key to freedom, which allowed humans to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Liberal studies included philosophy, history, rhetoric, letters, mathematics, poetry, music and astronomy. Based on the Greek idea of a "sound mind", the school in Mantua offered physical education as well. This included archery, dance, hunting and swimming.

The children that attended the schools were generally from upper-class families, though some seats were reserved for poor but talented students.[3] Females were not usually allowed to attend but were encouraged to know history, learn dance, and appreciate poetry. Some important females that were educated during the Renaissance were Isotta Nogarola, Cassandra Fedele of Venice, and Laura Cereta.

Overall, Humanist education was thought[by whom?] as being an important factor to the preparation of life. Its main goal was to improve the lives of citizens and help their communities. Humanist schools combined Christianity and the classics to produce a model of education for all of Europe.[citation needed]

References

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  2. 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Gutek, G. (1995). A history of the western educational experience. Longrove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

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