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Why did humanists believe education should prepare people for public life?

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Leonardo da Vinci: Last Supper — Renaissance *Last Supper*, wall painting by Leonardo da Vinci, 1495–98, after its restoration was completed in 1999; in Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan.

Humanists believed that education should prepare individuals for public life because they viewed the development of humanitas—a combination of virtue, wisdom, and eloquence—as a tool for active, beneficial engagement in society.12

For Renaissance humanists, knowledge was not meant to be isolated or purely contemplative; rather, they held that insight without action was barren. They believed that the ultimate goal of learning was to produce citizens capable of "just and beneficent action" that would benefit the majority. By studying Classical literature, history, and moral philosophy, students acquired the judgment, prudence, and rhetorical skills necessary to influence political discourse and contribute to the state.123

This emphasis on "active virtue" reflected the belief that the world was a place to test one's character through service. Consequently, education was designed to foster a sense of social responsibility, ensuring that individuals could stand in the "line of battle" to struggle for truth, justice, and honor within their communities.2