Humanism in Education

Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb (1841-1905) was a British classical scholar and Member of Parliament for Cambridge University. He was acknowledged to be one of the most brilliant classical scholars of his time, a humanist and an unsurpassed translator from and into the classical languages.

The Jebb’s essay Humanism in Education, which we propose to our readers today, is based on a Romanes Lecture, delivered by the scholar in the Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford on June 7, 1899. It was included in 1907 in the collection Essays and Addresses, published by the Cambridge University Press.

Renaissance humanism is a worldview centered on the nature and importance of humanity that emerged from the study of Classical antiquity.

Renaissance humanists sought to create a citizenry able to speak and write with eloquence and clarity, and thus capable of engaging in the civic life of their communities and persuading others to virtuous and prudent actions. Humanism, while set up by a small elite who had access to books and education, was intended as a cultural movement to influence all of society. It was a program to revive the cultural heritage, literary legacy, and moral philosophy of the Greco-Roman civilization. It first began in Italy and then spread across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.