History
Research Paper
Republic by Plato
Plato’s most celebrated treatise,
the ‘Republic’ put forth a concept of an ideal state. The book
discusses a range of virtues and their importance for the
society. Knowledge is one of the most important virtue on which
enormous emphasis has been laid down. Education is a way to get
knowledge. Plato is considered as the earliest educational
philosopher. He termed education as of primary importance for
his ideal state, the ‘Utopia’. He proposed to establish a
state-owned ‘academy’ and all children were to be admitted to it
an early age and educated there.
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The educational structure of the
‘academy’ was such that it picked out children according to
their aptitudes, merit and natural abilities and classified them
in different categories-the guardian, the military and the
producers/consumers. The guardian class was the one responsible
to rule the state and was supposed to be the most educated of
all three categories. Wisdom, truth, goodness and beauty were
the virtues held by the guardians and these virtues were the
result of the high education they had received. According to
Plato, a just state can emerge when the state instills good
habits among its citizens through enough education.
The education system advocated by Plato called for an evaluation
of children according to their natural capabilities and was made
to select their future field. On the other hand, most of the
students today are forced to study subjects against their
aptitude and desires. Education has been made compulsory to a
certain standards but it does not aim at stimulating human
values. There is less room for the study and application of
history, philosophy and religion. Monetary gains are essential
to a greater extent but should not be emphasized on so much that
it can overshadow human values. Thus, the philosophy of Plato
does not have any significant effects on present American system
of education. The system is more towards utilitarianism,
capitalism and materialism instead of moralities and basic human
values. In Plato’s system, the guardian or rulers were trained
for the very purpose and thus educated accordingly. Presently,
there is no such system and a ruler can come from any background
and on criterion that are not at all in accordance with Plato’s
standards.
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