- This reading is a part of Plato's Republik in which he wrestles with the question "What is Justice?" His writing is in the form of a Socratic dialogue in which Socrates questions and discusses topics with Glaucon. The two ruminate on philosophy, education, law etc...
- Socrates poses the question "What is good?" The two decide that goodness can be pleasure though pleasure may also cause harm to others and is not always good.
- Goodness can also derive from knowledge. As light helps us to see, so does knowledge reveal goodness. There seems to be some intrinsic, human value system that determines goodness.
- Socrates describes a line divided into four parts: Imagination, Belief, Thought and Understanding. Imagination is the lowest element on the line. The difference in imagination and belief is the difference between fantasy and reality
- Thought is higher on the line than Belief because science is required to derive thought from belief.
- Finally, Understanding is the highest element on the line. Understanding is derived from thought and is only realized by the use of mathematics, quantitative logic.
- In education, the idea is to move up Plato's line in order to become more intelligent.
Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"
- The Setting: A large cave in which people are chained to the ground facing a large wall. There is a large fire behind the chained people which displays shadows on the wall for the chained people to view. Between the fire and chained people are other people carrying clay figures and talking to one another. For the chained people, all they know is their existence in this cave setting.
- Some chained people come loose of their chains and face the fire. At first it hurts their eyes. They then make their way out of the cave and are blinded by the sun. Once their eyes focus, they experience the natural world for the first time. They see trees, animals, the sun, moon, stars and are overwhelmed with their new perspective.
- The "free" people return to the cave to tell the others about what they see. Those who have remained chained to the cave floor do not believe the newly educated people. They harass them for believing in this new world.
- Plato likens the "free" people and their duty to teach others as the job of a teacher, though he/she may be rejected for attempting to educate.
Aristotle, Mechanical vs. Liberal Education
- One thing Aristotle wants to know is what is the nature of leisure time? What should leisure entail? He concludes that real leisure time is to be used to contemplate the meaning of life. Music, Art, Dance, Theater, other physical pursuits...all of these reveal something about the nature of what it means to be human. Leisure time is a chance for individuals to explore what each of these activities says about life. Leisure time liberates us by enhancing our knowledge about life. In a Platonic sense, leisure sheds light on life.
- Aristotle proposes that an education should also shed light on life in order to liberate humanity. This is the root of the term "liberal arts". The study of the liberal arts is in opposition to the idea of an education strictly for "mechanical" pursuits or in order to have a job. By having a knowledge of the reasons and overall moral and social objectives of work, one is liberated from having a job strictly to make a wage or to progress up a corporate ladder. Being liberated is also a way to be free of "death grip" oversight by a monarchical boss.
- So, education should be molded in the form of the government and should be public. Curriculum focuses should be on reading, writing, gym and music (sometimes drawing) though one subject should not be imbalanced unless the learner shows special qualities in the discipline. Overall, everyone should have at least an appreciation of each subject.
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