Below are the theses you all wrote in class. Please indicate in a posted comment below your opinion of the top three and briefly explain why.

1. Renaissance thinkers strove to cultivate the universal man, an ideal being that could be achieved through studying literature and practicing general skillfulness.
2. During the Renaissance men believed that the freedom and virtue came from education and self-improvement.
3. During the Renaissance men believed that education lead to freedom and virtue.
4. The Renaissance was marked by a renewed importance of education in the Humanities.
5. The Renaissance gave rise to  a new type of education that emphasized the liberal arts.
6. The Renaissance man sought a classical, humanist education in order to attain moral virtue, valorous character, physical fitness, and an understanding of the body, and excellence in presenting oneself through artistic cultivation and manners.
7. Looking to ancient authors for guidance, Renaissance thinkers cast down their father’s religious priorities and studied rather the humanities and the arts as an expression of their individual freedom and cultivated personal wisdom, virtue, fame, and popularity.
8. During the Renaissance, societal focus shifted in favor of the values of the ancients and emphasized the study of the self, finding virtue, engaging in liberal arts, and becoming a multifaceted individual.
9. Renaissance writers, through their knowledge of classical antiquity, art, literature, and philosophy, tried to reveal the virtuous nature of man and to depart from the Medieval emphasis on mortality and salvation.
10. The Renaissance began as a reflection of the people upon themselves and their predecessors, which resulted in the creation and study of many of the world’s modern subjects.
11. During the Renaissance, a new-found interest in Classical Antiquity increased exploration and education in fields previously deemed of little value, such as art, music, and science.
12. During the Renaissance…
13. Renaissance thinkers synthesized classical philosophy, ideas about living virtuously, and an interest in individuality to create a new system of thinking that posited education as a means to living virtuously and glorifying God through reason.
14. During the Renaissance, a movement recovered writings from the Classical world, leading to the study of the humanities and an explosion of scientific examination.
15. Education saw a transition in its goals and social status, from unpopular and usually impractical to popular and purposeful amongst the upper classes.
16. The Renaissance, through its renewed educational focus on humanity and life on earth, rejected the Medieval Church’s philosophy.
17. The liberal arts ideology that emerged during the Renaissance synthesized the Medieval emphasis on virtue and classical rhetoric, changing the conception of the individual and the politician.
18. The development of the Renaissance required that the times had departed from classical antiquity.
19. During the Renaissance, renewed interest in the classics spurred many people to pursue previously forbidden knowledge and develop new creations in secular music and various other liberal arts, while other reacted with dread to these new developments.
20. The Renaissance reintroduced the idea of self-enlightenment through classical studies and personal reflection and developed the notion of practical education for the betterment of the state and society.
21. The rediscovery of classical philosophies during the Renaissance caused an increased focus on a liberal education, the study of man, and the enjoyment of earthly matters.
22. A renewed emphasis on the study of history, science, and reflection on the inner soul hailed the creation of the liberal arts and a return to classical philosophy.
23. The Renaissance began as a reflection of the people upon themselves and their predecessors, which resulted in the study of many modern fields of study.