... Sylvius Piccolomini asserted that a man must study the humanities to acquire virtue and to attain enlightenment. Likewise, Baldassare Castiglione, an Italian diplomat and author, instructed modern Renaissance gentleman in The Book of the Courtier to become learned in a wide variety of subjects including the humanities, classical poetry, and in writing verse and prose. These Italian humanist views were echoed by northern ... Christian humanists such as Desiderus Erasmus who wrote in his book On the Art of Learning that students should study the classics because "the whole of attainable kn...

• Word Count: 1240
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Graduate