Desiderius Erasmus, a man of few words, wrote many arguments about the way the Church was run. He felt that everyone acted “Godly” and thought they were above people. He criticized not only members of the Church, but also many broad generalizations of people, quoting the Bible. Most of Erasmus's disdain for the way things were run was due to the circumstances in which he was raised. With his “In Praise of Madness”, Erasmus shows his humanistic view of the world and tells people what they should change to live a better life. life.Erasmus was born in Rotterdam to single parents. His mother was a widow and his father became a priest shortly after his birth. His father was a follower of Italian humanism, who knew Latin and Greek and supported himself in Rome as a scribe. Erasmus had a brother, Pieter, three years his senior, and the boys were orphaned by the premature deaths of both their parents around 1484. Nothing more can be said about his origins with certainty. He was then sent with his brother to his guardians, who did not want to take care of them and considered them a heavy burden and sent them to a monastic school near Gouda. It was there that he learned his introduction to humanism which he retained for his later works. After spending six years at the monastery, Erasmus left it and went to Paris to continue his studies. He later began a manual to keep track of his thoughts and opinions as well as his critiques. By using his textbook's inclusion of a section on "imitation", the normal practice in rhetorical theories, Erasmus would seem to be sticking to particular elements of the norm. rhetorical and pedagogical practices. It goes against the way people were beginning to move around at that time. For Erasmus, a writer shows ...... middle of paper ...... a mistake, so they can fix it and help heal the world. His main goal was to experience the world as it was; a live view, learning and loving if you want. He believed that no one was above another person, i.e. the Pope and/or other important people, and therefore should not act in a condescending manner. The Bible tells all humanity that no one knows God or knows how to be “godly.” People should follow that and just live life the way we're supposed to, learning as we go and spreading the gospel, properly, to whoever we can. Works cited by Erasmus, Desiderius and Loon Hendrik Willem Van. The praise of madness. New York: published for the Classics Club by WJ Black, 1942. Print.Kreis, Steven. "Desiderius Erasmus, 1466-1536." The History Guide - Main. May 14, 2004. the web. November 14. 2011. .