Plato and Education

Plato (427 BC - 347 BC), a prominent figure in ancient Greek philosophy, is recognized as the father of educational philosophy. He established the Academy in Athens around 387 BC and authored foundational texts, including *The Republic*, which explores concepts of an ideal society alongside educational and political issues. Central to Plato's philosophy is the belief that education serves to refine the innate intellectual abilities of individuals, aligning with the ideals of reason. He advocated for a model of education that emphasizes the search for universal truths and moral development, viewing teachers as role models responsible for nurturing both the minds and characters of their students.

Plato's educational philosophy is grounded in idealism and perennialism, suggesting that true knowledge is discovered through introspection and dialectical reasoning. His influential Allegory of the Cave illustrates the journey from ignorance to enlightenment, emphasizing the importance of seeking higher forms of truth beyond the material world. The methodologies derived from his teachings, such as the Socratic method of questioning, continue to shape modern educational practices. Critics of Plato's idealism argue it may be overly abstract and elitist, while supporters value its focus on moral character and cultural literacy. Overall, Plato's ideas remain significant in contemporary discussions about the purpose and methods of education.

Published in: 2021

By: Smith, Tricia

Subject Terms

Plato and Education

Plato (427 BC - 347 BC), an ancient Greek philosopher, is considered to be the father of educational philosophy. He founded the Academy in Athens in 387 BC and wrote a number of philosophical works including The Republic, which outlines Plato's utopian society and his thoughts about political and educational issues (Gutek, 2009). The keystone of the text promotes the classic tradition of reason, whereby education becomes the process of "perfecting those natural powers of intellect which all people have" (Wingo, 1965, p. 28). Historically, Plato's tenets of philosophical thought are the tenets of perennialism, an educational philosophy based on idealism. Idealism is directly traced back to Plato, with concepts of the idealistic perspective influencing education today.

Keywords: Antithesis; Dialectic; Idealism; Intrinsic Motivation; Mentoring; Paideia; Perennialism; Reason; Seminar; Thesis; Universal Truth

Overview

Plato (427 BC-347 BC) is considered to be the father of educational philosophy. He founded the Academy in Athens in 387 BC and wrote a number of philosophical works including The Republic, which outlines Plato's utopian society and presents his thoughts about political and educational issues (Gutek, 2009). The keystone of the text promotes the classic tradition of reason within education whereby education becomes the process of "perfecting those natural powers of intellect which all people have" (Wingo, 1965, p. 28). Plato was the student of Socrates (469 BC-399 BC), a Greek philosopher who emphasized paideia, education in the broadest sense, including "all that affects the formation of character and mind" (LoShan, 1998, p. 11).

Plato's philosophy is a direct reaction to the state of flux of the Athenian culture during his time. Nash, Kazamias, and Perkinson (1965) point out that Plato lost faith in the existing forms of Athenian government and the foundations of its society. Sophists, a new group of traveling lecturers, promoted individualism rather than a communal culture, which led to a relativism that threatened to destroy the communal culture (Knight, 1998). Barrow (1976) suggests that their method was "to give public lectures for high fees, limiting education to the rich and excluding the poor" (p. 13). To Plato, the Sophists were superficial instructors who lacked solid pedagogical techniques (Powers, 1996). Plato believed that citizens of Athens should follow an Absolute or universal truth, "the final and most ethical of all things and persons" (Knight, 1998, p. 40). As Wingo (1965) explains, "To Plato, knowledge based on reason is regarded as superior to that based on sense experience" (p. 8).

Writing on Platonic and Socratic philosophies, respectively, as they influence present-day education, Kohan argues: "The former educates childhood to transform it into what it ought to be. The latter does not form childhood, but makes education childlike" (Kohan, 2013).

Idealism, Perennialism & the Search for Truth

Historically, Plato's tenets of philosophical thought are the tenets of perennialism, an educational philosophy based on idealism. Idealism is directly traced back to Plato, with concepts of the idealistic perspective influencing education today. LoShan (1998) suggests that Platonic education can certainly serve as a model in any city at any time in history, as it is an ideal model "that any polity would do well to emulate as best it can, under the constraints of its history and circumstances" (p. 44). These specific concepts gleaned from Platonic philosophy include the idea that there is latent thought in all children. Platonic philosophy also proposes that the teacher can discover the process for acquiring this latent thought through the skillful method of asking probing questions to stimulate this recollection of ideas. Another tenet that directly relates back to the teachings of Plato is the idea that the teacher is the moral and cultural model of students. The beliefs of German philosopher Georg Hegel and American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson can be traced to Plato, as well as those of Augustine, Descartes, Berkeley, and Harris (Gutek, 2009; Ozmon & Craver, 2008).

Plato was a follower of Socratic education. This form of education encompasses the following points:

Human beings should seek to live morally excellent lives.
General education (today called liberal arts education) cultivates the knowledge every person needs as a human being.
The kind of information that cultivates morally excellent persons…act according to reason.
Concepts, the basis of true knowledge, exist within the mind and can be brought to consciousness [with] probing questions stimulat[ing] the learner to discover the truth…by bringing latent concepts to consciousness.
Humans define themselves in terms of the criteria of universal truth.
Socratic education involves mentoring (or modeling) (Gutek, 2009, p. 20).

Plato believed that there is a world of perfect ideas that are "unchanging…universal and timeless concepts of truth, goodness, justice, and beauty" (Gutek, 2009, p. 21). Perfect ideas are forms of the Good, which are considered the world of ideas at its highest point. The world of matter is "not to be trusted" (Ozmon & Craver, 2008, p. 7). People are considered good and honorable when "their conduct conforms to the ideal and universal concepts of truth, goodness, and beauty" (Gutek, 2009, p. 21). According to Ozmon and Craver (2008), Plato argues that people should concern themselves primarily with the search for truth. Truth is "perfect and eternal, [and] cannot be found in the world of matter, which is imperfect and constantly changing" (p. 7).

The Allegory of the Cave

Plato's Allegory of the Cave provides an example of the concept that students must move beyond the world of matter to that of ideas. In the Allegory of the Cave, prisoners are chained in darkness in a cave. They see only shadows, which they take for reality. One prisoner is freed from his chains, advances up the steep slope and walks into the sunlight where he sees the true source of heat and light. He remembers his friends in the cave and returns to tell them of his discovery. They do not believe him and threaten his life.

According to Ozmon and Craver (2008), people live in "a cave of shadows and illusions, chained to our ignorance and apathy" (p. 8). When one loosens his chains, he begins his education. Dialectic is the manner that carries one from the world of matter to that of the world of ideas. Dialectic (a critical discussion) moves participants from "mere opinion to true knowledge" (Ozmon & Craver, 2008, p. 7). The good teacher leads the student as far as capable (Reed & Johnson, 2000).

To Plato, knowledge is not created, but discovered through education. Barrow (1975) relates that "education is the process of turning the mind in the right direction," specifically in the search for the truth. The essence of education is the nurturing of the student. Nettleship (1935) stresses that Plato sees the human soul as "emphatically and before all else something living, something which we can feed or starve, nourish or poison" (p. 5). Plato sees education as "the method for providing the natural and proper nurture of the souls" (p. 19).

Commenting on Platonic philosophy in present-day education, Ormell writes, "Anyone who aspires to philosophise about education (or anything else for that matter) needs to learn to 'stand back' from the all-too pressing and distracting detail and to try to see the situation 'as a whole'. The kind of cool perspective one can get from such standing back is the chief good which philosophy aims to provide" (2012).

The education of the average Greek gentleman is comprised of both mental and athletic methods. These methods begin at an early age; Plato believes that the young are plastic and malleable and that those who impact the young must take care in the handling and shaping of young minds and bodies. Nettleship (1935) states that a continued neglect of an education produces "aggravated results," wherein "the eye of the mind grows more and more unaccustomed to the vision of beauty and truth" (p. 84). Besides developing a knowledge base and the physical being of the young, Plato promotes a foundation of character education whereby the child is "to be bred in the belief that beings greater than himself have behaved in a certain way," and that his "natural impulse to imitate is thus to be utilized in forming his own character" (Nettleship, 1935, p. 33).

Applications

Idealist Education Today

Elements of Platonic thought can be seen in today's classrooms under the guise of Idealism. The goal of Idealist education is to seek and to find Truth; a universal truth that is absolute. The purpose of Idealist education is to "expose students to the wisdom contained in the cultural heritage so that they can know, share in, and extend it through their own personal contributions" (Gutek, 2009, p. 30). Schools are seen as institutions that are established to promote the society for "the primary purpose of developing students' spirituality or intellectuality" (p. 31). Schools are to provide a place where "the mind can think and know without being bothered by the transitory experience of everyday life." For the Idealist, the social function of the school is "to preserve the heritage and to pass on the knowledge of the past" (Knight, 1998, p. 46).

The curriculum of today's Idealist educational institutions considers the lessons of the past in the shaping of what should be taught. Thus, schools should "preserve knowledge by transmitting the cultural heritage in a deliberate fashion by way of systematically ordered, sequential and cumulative curricula" (Gutek, 2009, p. 31).

The Modern Idealist education promotes a liberal arts education, as opposed to an education specializing in technical skills. The liberal arts education presents a broader understanding of the world to students; students develop "habits of understanding, patience, tolerance, and hard work" (Ozmon and Craver, 2008, p. 26). In general, a liberal (arts) education promotes:

The teaching of ideas that are eternal, universal and unchanging and not dependent on or relative to changing times, situations, or circumstances [with] enduring truths and values encased in great works of literatures, arts, and music.
The classics, constitut[ing] knowledge that is of most worth, form[ing] the core of the curriculum.
Classics [that] capture something that touches people across ages.
The study of philosophy, theology, history, and math.
School curriculum designed to prepare students for adult life.
Basic education (learning to read, write, calculate), as well as computer skills.
Study of art and music.
Civility (with respect for spirituality, learning and art) (Gutek, 2009, p. 32).

The act of teaching also follows certain processes in the Idealist's classroom. The teacher is the "mature model of cultural values…in that he or she is the mature embodiment of the culture's highest values" (Gutek, 2009, p. 33). The teacher is "the kind of person we want our children to become" (Ozmon & Craver, 2008, p. 26). Also, he or she promotes the Socratic dialogue, "leading questions crucial to human concerns" (p. 34). While lecture is a part of the methodology of the Idealist teacher, lecture is viewed more as "a means of stimulating thought than as a mere conveyance of information" (p. 26).

As Plato promotes the thought that "true education occurs only within the individual self," the Idealist teacher promotes self-directed activity (Ozmon & Craver, 2008, p. 26). The teacher provides the materials that are needed for influencing thought and it is the responsibility of the student to respond to the teacher through intrinsic motivation (Ozmon & Craver, 2008; Gutek, 2009).

Values, Ethics & Morals

Accordingly, values education is at the forefront of an Idealist teacher's classroom. Ethics are at the core of this classroom, ethics that are "contained within and transmitted by cultural heritage." Texts that are "bearers of the human moral tradition and represent the generalized ethical and cultural conscience of civilization" are the materials used in this philosophically-bound classroom (Gutek, 2009, p. 34). Gutek (2009) further explains that "students should be exposed to and should examine critically the great works of art and literature that have endured through time…exposing students to valuable lessons" (p. 35).

Great Books are proposed as models of the human moral tradition. Books should be seen "not as literal renderings of events but as something that provides insight into ourselves and the universe (Ozmon & Craver, 2008, p. 21). Great Books "carr[y] us to a higher point in our thinking…as vehicles for moving us not only into the world of ideas but also the realm of great ideas — the ideas that are of sustained value to us in understanding truth" (p. 21).

Elements of Idealist Education

Additionally, there are other applications that are characteristic of an Idealist educational philosophy:

The dialectic is a critical discussion that advances one from mere opinion to true knowledge (Ozmon & Craver, 2008). Ozmon and Craver (2008) state that in the dialectic, "all thinking begins with a thesis, or point of view. An antithesis is established; through the anti-thesis (or the opposite point of view), one reexamines and defends the position." Dialectic is "a winnowing out process in which ideas are put into battle against each other, with the more substantial ideas enduring the fraying" (p. 25).

The seminar is an application of the Socratic Method. Fischer (2008) defines the seminar as a classroom format that encompasses the questioning of the Socratic Method. In this seminar format, students are "empowered to explore what they feel is important" in any discussion. They are taught "how to think, not what to think" (p. 3). An opening question starts the seminar; this question is generally open-ended and has no right answer. Types of seminar approaches include: Touchstones Seminars, Junior Great Books Seminars, Paideia Seminars, Harkness Table, Socratic Seminars, Socratic Circles, Literature Circles and the fishbowl method.

The Socratic Method is a methodology of "constantly asking questions in order to further investigate core issues and ideas" (Fischer, 2008, p. 2). The term derived from methodologies presented in Plato's Dialogues, as Plato relates Socrates' inductive process that produced questions that resulted in deeper investigations of ideas and concepts (Copeland, 2005).

This method of questioning can be considered either teacher-directed or student-centered, depending upon the approach to how questions are asked and under what circumstances they are being asked. Teacher-directed dialogue results in the action of steering students in the direction of "pre-determined goal(s)" (Fischer, 2008, p. 2). Questioning is not a "simple recall of facts that have been memorized in advance" (Gutek, 2009, p. 34). The students are asked specific questions for which there are answers that the teacher has determined are correct answers. The teacher knows the answers prior to asking the questions. This method is an alternative to straight lecture and encourages rich dialogue (Fischer, 2008).

In the student-centered approach to the Socratic Method, the teacher becomes an equal participant in the discussion, rather than the teacher who holds all the answers. This approach to the Socratic Method "encourages students to do the work of thinking and analysis in a cooperative manner" (Fischer, 2008, p. 4).

Schneider argues against some widely held notions about the Socratic Method, writing that it was not, in fact, passed down "from ancient Athens across continents and millennia" (2013). Instead, he contends, it was "re-created and reimagined by different groups of educators who were less concerned with establishing a consistent and specific meaning for the method than they were with using it to advance their own distinct agendas." Thus, while the Socratic method is commonly perceived as both identifiable and ancient, it is "in reality a vaguely defined and relatively modern pedagogical concept-a fact that should give pause to educators presuming to employ it" (2013), he argues.

Viewpoints

Plato's influence on education today has been great. He set out to perfect a system of education that "epitomizes not only one current of thought during a crucial period of Greek life, but it also represents a dialogue between that period and the periods that preceded it" (Nash, Kazamias, & Perkinson, 1965, p. 4). Characteristics of Plato's educational philosophy have weathered the ages and have become the backbone of Idealism in today's classroom. Proponents of current Idealist viewpoints see many benefits to what is promoted in today's idealist classroom, including the high cognitive level of education and its concern for safeguarding and promoting cultural literacy and learning. The thread of moral and character development in idealist classrooms is seen as having a strong influence on youth. Teachers are seen as revered leaders who are an integral part of the learning process, as they act as role models to be exemplified. Ozmon and Craver (2008) further promote Idealism as a "comprehensive, systematic holistic approach to education" (p. 29).

Those opposed to the idea of an Idealist education state that the goals of such an education are "too abstract and altruistic for today's society" (Gutek, 2009, p. 30). While Idealism promotes intellectualism, some see this as a "detriment of the affective and physical side of the students … [and] leans toward elitism" (Ozmon and Craver, 2008, p. 31). Idealism has also been perceived as promoting bookishness instead of making a connection with the material world. Ozmon and Craver (2008) point out that reading extensively "about goodness does not make a person good" (p. 31). An Idealist's "armchair knowledge" is more limiting "rather than insight[fullness] that comes from interaction with other people in the real world" (p. 32).

Detractors also perceive the Idealist perspective to be too conservative and too fundamental in its principles. As Ozmon and Craver (2008) suggest, "The idea that there is a finished universe waiting to be discovered has hindered progress in science and the creation of new ideas and processes" (p. 30). This approach may actually advance "conformity and subservience on the part of the learner" (p. 32).

Terms & Concepts

Antithesis: The antithesis is an opposing point of view to a thesis presented in an argument.

Forms: Forms are "the world of ideas that has the Good at its highest point"; the Good is considered to be the source of all true knowledge (Ozmon & Craver, 2008, p. 3).

Intrinsic Motivation: Intrinsic motivation occurs when students are motivated to produce due to their own internal interest. There is "a positive attraction to a task" in which students express an interest (Gutek, 2009, p. 31).

Mentoring: Mentoring is "the close relationship between the teacher and the students to create within the student's character an ethical predisposition to discover and use truth to order and govern his life; also called character building" (Gutek, 2009, p. 20).

Thesis: A thesis is a point of view in an argument.

Universal Truth: Universal truth is truth that is absolute and is not dependent on different cultures (Gutek, 2009).

Bibliography

Barrow, R. (1975). Plato, utilitarianism and education. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Barrow, R. (1976). Plato and education. London: :Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Copeland, M. (2005). Socratic circles: Fostering critical and creative thinking in middle and high school. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Fischer, C. (2008). The Socratic method. Research Starters Education. Retrieved May 30, 2009 from EBSCO online database, Research Starters Education: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e0h&AN=28544226&site=ehost-live

Gutek, G. (2009). New perspectives on philosophy and education. Columbus, Ohio: Pearson.

Knight, G. (1998). Issues and alternatives in education philosophy. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews UP.

Kohan, W. (2013). Plato and Socrates: From an educator of childhood to a childlike educator? Studies in Philosophy & Education, 32, 313-325. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=86979100&site=ehost-live

LoShan, Z. (1998). Plato's council on education. In Rorty, A. (Ed.). Philosophers on Education: New historical perspectives (pp. 32-50). NY: Routledge.

Nash, P., Kazamias, A., & Perkinson, H. (1965). The educated man: Studies in the history of educational thought. NewYork: Jon Wiley.

Nettleship, R. (1935). The theory of education in Plato's Republic. Oxford, Oxford UP.

Ormell, C. (2012). The curiously personal enterprise of philosophy. Prospero, 18, 31-41. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=85961231&site=ehost-live

Ozmon, H., & Craver, S. (2008). Philosophical foundations of education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Powers, E. (1996). Educational philosophy: A history from the ancient world to modern America. New York: Garland Publishing.

Reed, R., & Johnson, T. (2000). Philosophical documents in education. New York: Longman.

Schneider, J. (2013). Remembrance of things past: a history of the Socratic Method in the United States. Curriculum Inquiry, 43, 613-640. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=91914714&site=ehost-live

Wingo, G. (1965). The philosophy of American education. New York: DC Heath.

Plato and Education

On this Page

Subject Terms

Plato and Education

Overview

Idealism, Perennialism & the Search for Truth

The Allegory of the Cave

Applications

Idealist Education Today

Values, Ethics & Morals

Elements of Idealist Education

Viewpoints

Terms & Concepts

Bibliography

Suggested Reading