Which philosophy holds that education should liberate individuals from oppressive institutions such as the church to develop potential?

• A. Renaissance
• B. Islam
• C. Desiderius Erasmus
• D. Humanism

Answer: (D)

Humanism is the stance that education should empower people to realize their potential and think for themselves, freeing them from unexamined authority. It centers on developing reason, curiosity, and virtue, often through secular study of human affairs and classical learning. In the Renaissance, humanists challenged rigid church-dominated education and promoted inquiry that broadened personal and social possibilities. Erasmus is a well-known advocate within this tradition, but the best label for the philosophy guiding education toward liberation from oppressive institutions is humanism. The other options are less fitting because the Renaissance is a historical period, Islam is a religious tradition with its own educational framework, and Erasmus refers to an individual rather than a governing educational philosophy.