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Have you started your Renaissance education?

Actually, having read this page is a start.

From the lens Renaissance Education - how to study and apply classical literature.


The real question then becomes:

Are you ready to continue your Renaissance education?

  • aghniamujtaba May 14, 2012 @ 10:50 pm | delete
    lenses add another favorite of his though more cool material
  • cmoneyspinner Apr 4, 2012 @ 2:01 pm | delete
    I like your sticky notes! Now that PINNING is all the rage I hope that more people will discover your lenses.
  • anando Mar 14, 2012 @ 6:46 am | delete
    Wow,Wonderful information's about western classical art & literature educations with Renaissance to rising modern times to our universal history.
  • futureme Feb 22, 2012 @ 5:07 pm | delete
    Another great lens. I really must get back to writing mine now, but you keep leading me on to more reading!
  • jimmyworldstar Dec 3, 2011 @ 6:28 pm | delete
    I haven't read many "classics" but I can see how this would make someone a more cultured and knowledgeable individual. I like how you pointed out that we can compare and contrast our worldviews with those who lived centuries ago.
  • Gingerpixie Dec 2, 2011 @ 10:25 am | delete
    I have always been curious with the arts of Classic Lit. and in reading your blog, I could feel my passion for it to exceed in a way i have never imagined. I am determined to learn more of this. Thank you for the brief knowledge you have given me.
  • vikksimmons Nov 21, 2011 @ 12:07 am | delete
    Wow, deep reading...what a concept. :) I'm so glad someone out there is preaching the good word. Great job.
  • faykam69 Nov 16, 2011 @ 6:08 am | delete
    you have a nice blog gr8 effort
    :)

    please can you add more unique stuff so as we can enjoy it reading

    xD
  • jamesfoland21 Nov 11, 2011 @ 5:38 am | delete
    Very insightful lens, thank you so much!
    Nursing Schools In Illinois
  • RebeccaE Oct 22, 2011 @ 9:54 pm | delete
    I think what made teh most to me was teh idea that we don't really read-- we browse. Another amazing lens.
  • travelkat Jun 18, 2011 @ 1:42 am | delete
    As a homeschooling mom living in Central America with a very curious child, I found this lens to be quite useful. Thanks!
  • badmsm Jun 11, 2011 @ 3:19 pm | delete
    Amazing food for thought, I've wrestled with this over and over. Liked & Blessed! :)
  • janeaustengirl May 30, 2011 @ 2:04 am | delete
    Love ALL of your lenses, wow. Have you heard of Andrew Kern of the Circe Institute? He is an amazing classical educator!
  • iijuan12 Mar 2, 2011 @ 9:33 pm | delete
    This was very thought-provoking. Thank you for posting this!
  • ManOClay Mar 1, 2011 @ 2:19 pm | delete
    Wow. Thank you. I'm a teacher at a middle school and will have a hard time doing any of what you suggest, but thank you anyway. Savoring what is good about life, especially poetry I think, makes the other parts better and more meaningful.

    Again, thank you!
  • HarmonyArtMom Jan 22, 2011 @ 7:33 pm | delete
    As a homeschooling mom with high school age students, I have already begun reading alongside them and joining in the discussion. I wish I had started earlier.

    Thanks for the thoughtful lens. Adding to my favorites, lensrolling, and blessing.
    ***Blessed by an Angel***
  • ForbesEverettLandis Dec 9, 2010 @ 9:20 am | delete
    Thank you very much for yet another inspiring, thought provoking lens. It seems to be extremely hard for me to stop reading your articles!
  • JackBandit Nov 16, 2010 @ 12:58 pm | delete
    Thank you so much for writing this; I graduated from university a few years ago, and myself (and several of my friends) began our collegiate careers in the pure sciences. I was partial to physics, while my friends were typically embroiled in biology or enmeshed in mathematics. My "four year schooling" ended up being 5 years because part way through my first year, I realized that I was not, in fact, all too interested in getting a degree in pure science. I continued taking physics classes... but found myself more fervently drawn to the deeply fulfilling, challenging, and nebulous disciplines of philosophy, history, archaeology, literature... ultimately, I resolved to finish college with a degree in literature/writing with an emphasis in anthropology and a minor in philosophy. My parents nearly had a fit... "what on earth do you expect to do with such an odd degree?" I tried explaining to them that these studies compelled me to question and challenge my reality, my self, my relationships, and more than that, these studies truly allowed me to acknowledge and build connections between otherwise disparate ideas... and improved my greater understanding of the world as a whole.

    In that regard... I would just like to say thank you for writing this lens, which resonated deeply with me. We lose so much when we accept superficial studies that rely on rote memorization rather than sober introspection... when we choose to "accept" or "reject" ideas, as you eloquently state, rather than take an interest in seeing how and why these ideas are formed, and then adding them to a network of further entwined inter-disciplinary ideas.
  • Margo_Arrowsmith Nov 4, 2010 @ 4:58 am | delete
    Lots of food for thought here.

    When I was a kid I wanted to speed read, now it gives me the chills!
  • JamesThomasCalhoun Oct 23, 2010 @ 5:29 am | delete
    I couldn't agree more. Thank you for this lens. It is a wonderful contribution.
  • LoKackl Apr 13, 2010 @ 10:02 am | delete
    Delightful. Kissed by Squid Angel.
  • Mengele Feb 18, 2010 @ 12:48 pm | delete
    I studied once in University, primarily Classical mythology and Victorian literature. You've rekindled my interest. I thank you for this.
  • smange Feb 16, 2010 @ 8:41 am | delete
    It looks like you'd be quite interested in Fadiman's Lifetime Reading Plan. A lot of these books are on the list.
  • JaguarJulie Jan 2, 2010 @ 4:14 pm | delete
    Ah, celebrate indeed that we may have the opportunity presented to us today to HAVE a Renaissance Education. Thank you my dear for all of your amazing contributions. It has been my pleasure to know you and I wish you a very remarkable journey indeed this year. Happy new year and huge hugeroonies! ;)
  • JoyfulPamela Nov 16, 2009 @ 6:53 pm | delete
    What an interesting article! This is something I am going to consider in my children's education.
  • Spook Nov 3, 2009 @ 3:18 pm | delete
    Thanks for making everyone think Allan. Blessed by an Angel.
  • lostinfiction Oct 26, 2009 @ 9:18 pm | delete
    It's great to see such an in-depth lens on a subject so literary! Have you had a look at Infloox yet? It's basically like a wiki/search literature site where you can track down the influences of authors (and other famous ppl, but mainly authors) all the way back to the classics. Wish I knew about this back when I was still doing research papers!
  • Treasures-By-Brenda Sep 12, 2009 @ 10:26 am | delete
    Nicely done; blessed.
  • tandemonimom May 5, 2009 @ 4:08 pm | delete
    Excellent treatise, as usual! Welcome to The Homeschooling Group!
  • Spook May 4, 2009 @ 3:58 am | delete
    What happened to me is, that in order to improve my vocabulary I was compelled into reading. Unfortunately after years of doing this, I lost interest. Great lens
  • Recession-Proof Oct 19, 2008 @ 3:11 am | delete
    This is a great lens Allen. I too studied literature in college, I actually was studying toward my PhD but I burned out. You know what? All those years of studying books made me not love reading just for the sake of reading anymore. It had become a chore. It's taken me a long time to unlearn my education, but I love reading again. . .
  • ChristiannaGarrett-Martin Oct 8, 2008 @ 1:37 pm | delete
    A wonderful article! I studied English Literature but need to broaden my knowledge to stretch myself more.

    Beautifully written with great insight.

    Christianna
  • struwwelfranz Sep 26, 2008 @ 4:22 pm | delete
    How refreshing to encounter someone who is unafraid to argue for the need to gain depth of knowledge, even if it means we have to dig for it ourselves. In the present age of massively interconnected communication, we have fabulous breadth of knowledge. We are in danger of losing our depth.

    Only five people have rated this lens. I'm happy to be among them.
  • dc64 Sep 13, 2008 @ 10:18 pm | delete
    It's great to come across such a well written and thoughtful lens. We have so many different people and modern devices telling us what to think, that it's nice to find someone who urges us towards independent thought. The classical arts and literature introduce a whole new way of seeing humanity, and in my opinion, a better way. If only the Library of Alexandria wasn't destroyed...
    An enthusiastic 5 stars
  • LillyMunster (twitter) Sep 4, 2008 @ 11:06 am | delete
    Excellent post, excellent philosophy. We homeschool with classics. I cringe when teens complain about "boring" classics or "lame" history. History should be studied in order and not for fact memorization, otherwise the lessons are lost. Classics safely walk us through philosophy, dilema, and character. It also makes us better writers (like Ben Franklin learned). I combine classical literature w/history, so that the work can be viewed from the period's perspective...this is lost in our present school system. GREAT POST!
  • spirituality Jul 3, 2008 @ 1:36 am | delete
    Congrats on making giant squid! so did I!
  • Jun 16, 2008 @ 10:41 am | delete
    I love all things literature so I found this lens very fascinating as well as a very enjoyable reading experience all its own! :)
  • The_Homeopath Jun 6, 2008 @ 11:34 am | delete
    This is a wonderful lens. I would be very interested in reading one in which you discuss contemporary authors in the same context with works such as 1984, Metamorphosis, Brave New World, and the like.
  • blastfromthepast May 18, 2008 @ 6:20 pm | delete
    Thank you for your lens on renaissance education! The great books have so much to teach us; and yet they are being cast aside by many teachers and dismissed as mere "cultural artifacts" of earlier centuries. They are in fact cultural monuments!
  • Coral May 18, 2008 @ 7:32 am | delete
    One of the best lenses I've come across. I shall come back here again.
    Best wishes
    Coral

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