“Philosophia vitae magistra”: philosophy is the teacher of life

Who is unaware that human life without the liberal arts is not only destitute and empty, but indeed far inferior and worse to that of many animals? When I then turn my attention to philosophy itself, how many times have I heard from you that it in no way stands second to those other arts that usually appear both divine and heavenly and worthy of all admiration! For as I am often hearing from the most learned and worthy people: …there is no sublime field of learning that does not lend itself both praise and glory for having philosophy as its creator and as it were first parent, as any field judges that it achieves both high honor and praise by confessing its origin in philosophy and also its growth and development. For which reason I used to hear you voice that saying of Cicero, and rightly so: that philosophy governs youth, comforts age, is becoming in favorable times, and provides refuge and solace in times of adversity. It delights us at home, does not trip us up in foreign places, it abides the night with us, travels with us, stays with us on our country walks.

Gasparino Barzizza, opening lecture to a course in the liberal arts in Padua, ca. 1420