Educator and reformer Peter Ramus (1515-72) was known for his rash assaults on the most esteemed and cherished foundations of religion and learning in France. As a leading figure in both the French Reform and the University of Paris, and author of the pedagogical system known as 'Ramism', he consistently promoted an ideology which would make status, influence, and authority dependent on talent and achievement, instead of on birth or wealth. His social ideal attracted a sizeable following and achieved some practical results during his lifetime, but after his death his reforms collapsed. In...