Comenius was the first philosopher to argue systematically for universal education — including girls and the poor. His 'Didactica Magna' (1657) proposed that all children should learn through experience and observation, not rote memorization. He designed the first illustrated textbook for children. His philosophical vision was utopian: if all people were educated in reason, science, and ethics, war and injustice would end. The philosophical foundation of modern public education — that every person has a right to knowledge — originates with Comenius. UNESCO has named him the 'teacher of nations.'