Socrates, Plato and Aristotle (Philosophies and Educational Theories)

1. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle(Philosophies and Educational Theories) Philosophy of Education Dr. Akbari (Prepared by OmidZhianTabasy)

2. Socrates(469 – 399 B. C.) • Socratic Method • Taught by engaging others in dialogues • Continued • As far as it can be taken by either party • As far as encountering new ideas to be discussed before the dialogue can move further • Destructive cross-examination • Socrates/ teacher qualities • Great intelligence • Penetrating wit • A willingness to use occasional sarcasm • Unfailing skill in choosing and pursuing questions of real importance • Encouraging critical thinking

3. Self-knowledge • Harder to critically analyze oneself than the others • Accompanies and informs the critical examination of the larger society • Character qualities of note • Met his students informally in various public places and private homes • Never charged his “pupils” anything (not a professional teacher) • Stood on his beliefs and ideals • Accepted death with poisonous hemlock to betraying of his beliefs

4. Plato(427 – 347 B. C.) • The most renowned disciple of Socrates • Founded the Academy as a place for higher education • The author of the Republic • 36 dialogues • Socrates a most occurring party to these dialogues • Socrates ideas are best known through Plato, especially this book • Shows Plato’s social, political, educational views through debates

5. Plato’s Philosophy • Three important themes • A search for self-knowledge and self-realization • The discovery of form • The relation of form to value

6. Self-knowledge • Learned from Socrates • Complex and difficult • Emphasize individuality (a suppressed feature in ancient Greece where people were mere social tools, thus the death of an individual conscience like Socrates)

7. Form (Another idea of Socrates) • The possibility of the study of the formal features of things apart from the things themselves • The general characteristics that give things their identities and do not change • Structures (fixities and finality of things) • Ideals and criteria of value (degrees of realizing the form = degrees of worth) • Some forms • Include others (furniture chair) • Exclude others (odd even) • The forms are ordered in a rational system, which does not change, and we can reason by tracing their relations. • E. g. a chair is furniture or 2 is even so it’s not odd

8. Form & Value “Values are objective and knowable forms and the realm of the ideal is in fact causally related to the realm of actual, so that we cannot really separate description and evaluation.” • Forms causing values • Values requiring forms as the basis of coherent order (e. g. beauty requires organic pattern) • “Good”, the highest form (all that is right, proper, and orderly) • Where does the good lies? / Why do we have repeated patterns in nature? • Good as • Useful function • Minimum free energy • Stability • A vision of ideals, a drive toward self-transcendence in man • All evaluation requires standards and most standards are ideals

9. Plato’s Ladder of Knowledge • Eikasia – Hearsay and Fiction • Knowledge that rests primarily on images and imagination • Unique individual understanding of the world • Pitis – Grounded Belief and “Know-How” • Testable belief (as opposed to individual imagination) • The stage of technique, of familiarity with how things behave • (First encounter with) if something is true, it is true for all • Dianoia – Generalization and Knowing Why • Generalization or recognition of a form • Finds general laws and descriptions ( cannot resolve questions of evaluation) • Noesis – Tested Theory and Evaluation • The certainty that we know (theory + data = a good theory) • Ends with an evaluation • To Agathon – the Form of the Good (at the top of this part)

10. Motivation • Sophists (the professional teachers of Plato’s time) • Learning = retention of information + mastery of rhetoric in using information • Instrumental benefit • External goal • Plato (Socrates) • Internal motivation or not at all

11. Method of Inquiry • How do we know that we have the answer? • A myth (first part of the ladder of knowledge) “All knowledge is recollection; the soul, “before it was a man,” knew the natures and truths of all things, and has within it latent memories.” • All of us know the forms in a dim and confused way • It takes an effort to remember • Learning must begin with the student desire to know • A student challenged to think can learn by directed inquiry • We will be wiser and better if we do inquire than if we do not • The problem of education is that of bringing a latent awareness of ideal forms to as clear and high a level of realization as one’s talents will permit • Learning by • Precept (Sophists) • Example (the popular method of the time) • Motivation (Plato) – the love of inquiry as arising from a sense of incompleteness and desire

12. Society vs. Individual • Plato’s society killed Socrates (the excellent individual) for the good of the society and as a form of “common sense” • Society strives for the best possible state • Individual strives for personal excellence • Function of society • Transmit tradition • Teach useful skills • Shape character • Fitting the youth to the economic needs and political common sense (e. g. stability) • Immortality of individual through loyalty to the state

13. Education and Society • Society furthers the virtues of its citizens The citizens modify the society's traditions and institutions for the better • Education to individual • Owes the opportunity for the best realization of one’s abilities • Education to society • Has the responsibility of developing citizens trained and happy in the roles whereby they carry on community life • Aim of education in both individual and the state (the ideal “form”) • Justice (each part performing its proper share)

14. Individual Differences Specialized Social Functions

15. Compatibility of self-realization and social effectiveness • Using of talent for general good in a state = a truly good person would not be executed but would be a useful and respected citizen • Conclusions • Free public schools + equality of women • The teacher + the legislator (twin guardians of society) • Socialization doesn’t need to destroy individuality

16. Curriculum

17. Aristotle(384 – 322 B. C.) • Student of Plato • Founded the Lyceum • Political science = a form of inquiry into the nature of happiness + arrangement of human affairs to achieve happiness • Ethics provides and understanding of happiness (the highest good) • Politics (legislative science) puts this understanding into practice through law and education • Everyone will benefit from a course in ethics and legislation

18. Foundations of Aristotle’s Educational Thought • Good law is educative • Virtue is a prerequisite for happiness • Societies, heads of households, and educational institutions should all enable people to achieve happiness

19. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle on Reason and Education

20. Moral & Intellectual Virtues

21. The Highest Good • Something people pursue for its own sake • A life devoted to intellectual inquiry or contemplation • Desirable for itself + aiming at nothing beyond itself • The gods as the standard of perfection lead the same life according to Aristotle’s imagination (the most divine element in our nature) • Second degree highest good = political life • Friendship = the most important of external goods for a happy life • Highest good = happiest life

22. Political Community • Human beings are political animals • It is natural for them to live in the cities • Aims of social units (family, village, polises) = enable everyone in them to live the best kind of life, so far as they are able • Polise (city-states) only big enough to be self sufficient for this purpose • A political society = mutually beneficial partnership + free consent of everyone • Common schools nurturing friendships unified society security against factional conflict (Unification through education)

23. Forms of Constitution True, Just, or Legitimate Corrupt, Unjust, or Illegitimate Promote partnership in living well Aim at the good of the rulers and rely on force The Golden Mean

24. Education • Education a prerequisite for the practice of virtue a matter of public concern • To educate = to train and teach to acquire moral and intellectual virtue • To be educated = ability to form a sound judgment of an investigation or exposition • Education = a preparation for leisure spent in intellectual activity • Leisure = time not spent in satisfying material needs (contrasted with productive labor) • Intellectual activity = gymnastike (athletics) + musike (Arts of the Muses) • Citizens should be molded to sit the form of government or constitution (The better the character of citizens, the better the constitution)