Erasmus: Humanism & Reform

What role can scholarship play in renewing society? In this episode of Philosophy for Beginners, we explore the life and thought of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, the Renaissance humanist who sought to unite learning, faith, and reform.

Erasmus believed that truth should be sought in the original sources of wisdom — in scripture, in classical texts, in the honest work of reason. His critical edition of the New Testament reshaped theology, while his writings urged moderation, tolerance, and moral clarity during one of Europe’s most divided centuries.

Join us as we trace Erasmus’s vision of humanism and reform — and discover why his call for wisdom, peace, and integrity remains strikingly relevant in our own fractured times.