Renaissance Education
Education has always been perceived as a means of achieving wisdom even in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is believed that the embryos of the European educational systems were developed from the medieval monasteries (Plitz, 1981: 14). However, the cathedral schools soon outstripped the monasteries as a centre of learning (Piltz, 1981: 49). This progressive transfer of culture from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance marked the beginning of secularization. This essay will discuss the differences in practice and principles of the medieval and Renaissance education in terms of its educational approach, curriculum, foundation purposes and its conduct. It will also distinguish the different world-views of the two forms of education and conclude by asserting the inevitable differences of their distinctive ideas. In the Middle Ages, the Church had always taken a lead in the foundation of schools. They had charged of all the systemic education, which existed insofar (Powicke, 1935: 86). They were also responsible and clear about the kind of guidance in which peasantry should receive (Powicke, 1935: 82). The churches also "had a special focus on preaching"(Raymond of Penafort Extracts), which emphasized on the value of missions a
In contrast to medieval education, Renaissance education was more flexible and rational. In reference to Rabelias, he "extolled worldly pleasures as a legitimate need and aim of human nature" and "attacked monasticism as life-denying" (Rabelais Extracts). He also believed that "people who are free, well-born, well-bred, and easy in honest company have naturally spur and instinct which drives them to virtuous deeds and deflects them from vice" (Rabelais Extracts: 1). This belief was animated by the idea that the study of humanistic subjects would already provide one with valuable information on intellectual discipline and moral standards (Kristeller cited in Mario, 1992:30). With regards to learning, it was believed that "no master can endow a careless and indifferent nature with a true passion for learning" (Battista Extracts: 1). It was also believed that the "habitual instrument of the teacher must be kindness" (Battista Extracts: 1). As a result, the differences between medieval and Renaissance education is fairly obvious in the aspect of discipline and ideology. Monasteries in the Middle Ages were very particular about the discipline and conduct of the monks. They believed that God had revealed a proper rule for the regulation of individuals and the society (Perry et al. 2000:262). Thus, everyone in the monasteries was expected to "behave religiously and honorably as man of the Gospel" (Raymond of Penafort Extracts: 1). In practice, monks should deny themselves of earthly pleasures, perform physical labour, pray, and refrain from unnecessary travel (Cook and Herzman, 1983:168). They should also "avoid intimacy of undesirable friendship" (Raymond of Penafort Extracts: 1). These standards were to be followed so as not to lose their determination to persevere in solitary prayer (Cook and Herzman, 1983: 168). In the Renaissance, engagements in commerce and practice of politics were vibrant (Nauert: 1995: 17) People believed that the rhetorical skills provided in humanistic education equipped learners to participate effectively in political life (Nauert 1995: 15). Therefore, they devoted their attention to the historians by learning and understanding "the manners, laws, and institutions of different types of nations", and also by examining "the varying fortunes of individuals and states" (Battista Extracts: 4). After the collapse of the Roman Empire, knowledge of the Greek language gradually diminished and "except for clerics, few people could read or write Latin"(Perry et al. Extracts). A German preacher, Beuthold of Regensburg, once preached saying: "Although you lay folks cannot read as we priest can..."(Beuthold cited in Powicke, 1935:79). This suggested that people were not as educated as the priests since "intellectual life until the late Middle Ages existed only within the Church"(HOI Revision Notes: The Middle Ages, Lewit, 2001:2). Not only were the priest responsible for the education in the Church, they were also to discover potential learners and groom them free of charge (Powicke, 1935:12,88). Therefore, by observing the priests, it could be derived that their works were of higher callings.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2114
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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