Plato

 

Plato is known as a crucial thinker in the history of Ancient Greek and Western philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his notable student, Aristotle (Gutek, 2010). He has also often been called one of the founders of Western religion and spirituality. Plato was born in 427 B.C. and was descended from distinguished Athenians of royalty. Plato lost his father while being an infant. After this event, his mother was remarried to a friend of the great Athenian political leader Pericles that meant that Plato was familiar with Athenian politics from childhood (Murphy, 2015). Plato founded "The Academy" in 387 BC, the first institution of higher learning in Greece. It became the intellectual capital in Greece and the equivalent of the first university in the records of Europe. The ultimate object of all exercises at "The Academy" was to achieve the final philosophic truth. The method of teaching was by question and answer, argument, lectures, oral discussion, and dialogue. Plato remained teaching at the Academy until he died at the age of 81. (Murphy, 2015).

Plato is one of the greatest educational philosophers and an enormous influence on western philosophy. He wrote The Republic, a Socratic conversation consisting of ten books about the definitive defense of justice and its relationship to happiness, and it includes a defense of philosophical education. The Republic is one of the most influential works of Western educational philosophy, philosophy, and political theory (Lee, 2020). “Plato treats the subject of education in The Republic as an integral and vital part of a wider subject of the well-being of human society. The ultimate aim of education is to help people know the Idea of the Good, which is to be virtuous.” (Murphy, 2015, p.5). Plato establishes a theory of what education means for the individual and the state. Plato centers the theory on the role of those who have to choose the materi
al to teach. (Murphy, 2015). In addition, Plato was one of the first to purpose equal education for men and women, based on their abilities to learn (Murphy, 2015).

As an educator, it is important to read and reflect on Plato's life and work. Educators need to see and recognize the influence that he has on our society. His main work, The Republic, analyzes and studies the teacher role in the Greek civilization. He also defined the teacher's role as being a master and a mentor for the students. Nowadays, using the word master can be inappropriate. However, interpreting it as the leader of a learning community can be more exact. He explains the learning environment as a place where "the student would learn by observing the teacher, participate in the activity under the direction of the expert and then imitated the movements and skills of the teacher, practicing until he or she has mastered the skill." (Murphy, 2015, p. 7). Another reason that made me pick Plato is that he defines the student-teacher relationship. Plato believed that for learning to occur, both teachers and students need to have a strong love between each and other. As a new educator, I highly believe that the outcome we receive from our students is related to the relationship we have with them.  From my perspective, I find it impressive how someone could develop such complex concepts in the early stages of civilization. I do not doubt that "The Republic" has helped us create the civilization that we currently have.

References

Gutek, G. (2010). Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education: A Biographical Introduction (5th ed.). Boston, U.S.: Pearson.

Lee, J. K. (2020). Educational Philosophy and Happiness Principle of Plato and Mencius. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED603176.pdf

Murphy, M. (2015). Plato’s Philosophy of Education and the Common Core debate. University of St. Francis. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED559997.pdf

Nath, J. L., & Cohen, M. (2004). Becoming a Middle School or High School Teacher in Texas (1st ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.