Plato: Education

UNIT 4 PLATO: EDUCATION (PRESENTATION

THEMES: CRITIQUE OF DEMOCRACY,
WOMEN AND GUARDIANSHIP, EDUCATION,
⁎
CENSORSHIP)

Structure
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Theory of Education
4.2.1 System of Education
[Link] Elementary Education
[Link] Higher Education
4.3 Thoughts on Women
4.3.1 Criticism
4.4 Critique of Democracy
4.5 Let Us Sum Up
4.6 References
4.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

4.0 OBJECTIVES
In this unit, you will be reading about the concept of Education as described by
Plato. The Unit also presents an introduction to his idea on Women,
Guardianship as well as a critique of democracy. After going through this unit,
you should be able to:
• Explain the idea of education
• Enumerate on Women and Guardianship and
• Discuss the criticism related to democracy as explained by Plato.

4.1 INTRODUCTION
Plato (c.428-347 B.C.) is one of the most important figures of the Ancient Greek
world and the history of Western thought. Political philosophy in the West begins
with the ancient Greeks and Plato. Plato was one of the most influential thinkers
in the history of western philosophy. In his written dialogues he expanded on the
ideas and techniques of his teacher Socrates. In Plato’s ideal state there are three
major classes, corresponding to the three parts of the soul. The guardians, who
are philosophers, govern the city; the auxiliaries are soldiers who defend it; and
the lowest class comprises the producers (farmers, artisans, etc). Plato’s society

⁎
Dr. Ankita Dutta, Research Fellow, Indian Council of Word Affairs

51
 – II
BLOCK –II
was highly structured, hierarchical and meritocratic in nature where everyone
BLOCK
EQUALITY
PLATO was expected to perform the duties that were allotted to them. He ruled out
wealth, gender and birth as criteria for distributing privileges and favours.
Education structure was crafted in a way so as to let every individual reach his
potential through extensive training. The science of eugenics was to be conducted
with utmost secrecy, as only the philosopher ruler was to know and careful
selection of mates would ensure that the genetics endowment was carried on to
the children. In the following sections, Plato’s ideas related to education of these
classes, his thoughts on women and his critique of democracy are discussed in
detail.

4.2 THEORY OF EDUCATION

According to Plato, education is a matter of conversion, i.e. a complete turn-
around from the world of appearances to the world of reality. ‘The conversion of
the souls’, says Plato, ‘is not to put the power of sight in the soul’s eye, which
already has it, but to insure that, instead of looking in the wrong direction, it is
turned the way it ought to be’. As everyone possesses the power to learn in his
soul, what is needed is to turn our soul in a proper way that is to prepare a good
environment for learning. It is shown that the more you move up, the more you
acquire knowledge. The whole process of learning requires teachers and students;
teachers are the ones who know the subject matter to be taught. The process of
learning was suggested to be in the form of discussion between students and
teachers. Plato’s idea of education was primarily intended for those who were to
be statesmen. What made him to emphasise the statesmen more was to avoid
incapable leaders; because these statesmen will be given a state, and if they are
not educated, they could lead the country or the state into a terrible situation. The
whole range of the educational system would be in part physical, in part
intellectual, and in part moral. If a man cannot withstand moral temptation, then
he might sacrifice the interest of the society in order to satisfy his own interests.

The objective of education is to turn the soul towards light. Plato stated that the
main function of education is not to put knowledge into the soul, but to bring out
the latent talents in the soul by directing it towards the right objects. This
explanation of Plato on education highlights his object of education and guides
the readers in proper direction to unfold the ramifications of his theory of
education. In Laws he says: “Education is the first and the fairest thing that the
best of men can ever have”. According to Plato the aim of education is the
welfare of both the safety of the society and the food of individual. He was of the
opinion that education should develop the sense of ideas in people, who
possesses the ability and purpose to perform their assigned tasks. Thus, the aim
of education is to enable a person to acquire the knowledge of the absolute good.
Education, according to Plato, is the welfare of both the individual and the
society. His guiding principle is that, “Nothing must be admitted in education
which does not conduce to the promotion of virtue”. According to V.K.
Maheshwari, Plato’s treatment of education in the Laws is different from that in
52
the Republic. Education in the Laws is to be universal and not restricted, as in the
Republic, to the guardian class and is to be compulsory. Children should come to Plato: Education
the school not only if their parents please, but there should be compulsory
education. The highest goal of education, Plato believed, is the knowledge of
Good and to nurture a man to become a better human being. Education prepares a
man for the vision of absolute reality and that is why, education right from
the beginning is a preparation for the future.

4.2.1 System of Education

Plato believed that the young minds could be shaped easily, if they are directed
properly. He stressed the tremendous receptive potential of human mind which is
why, according to him, early education played a crucial role in the overall
development of the individual. At this point, the educator might try and train the
individual to restrain desires, for control and harnessing of non-rational aspects
of the soul was an important prerequisite for the full development of the rational.
For Plato, elementary education helped to attain the first goal, while higher
education ensured the development of rationality.
[Link] Primary Education
For Plato, the primary education was till the age of eighteen and would be
confined to the guardian class, followed by two years of compulsory military
training and then followed by higher education for those who qualified. While the
primary education made the soul responsive to the environment, higher education
helped the soul to search for truth which illuminated it. Plato believed that
education began from the age of seven and before this, children should stay with
their mothers for moral education and genders should be allowed to play with
each other. Plato was of the opinion that for the first 10 years, there should be
predominantly physical education. In other words, every school must have a
gymnasium and a playground in order to develop the physique and health of
children and make them resistant to any disease. Apart from this physical
education, Plato also recommended music to bring about certain refinement in
their character and lend grace and health to the soul and the body. Plato also
prescribed subjects such as mathematics, history and science. The content of
education comprised of gymnastics, literature, music and elementary
mathematics. Gymnastics is essential for the physical and mental growth. Music
is chosen as the medium of education, an avenue for the spiritual growth, and
ideas are the contents of education for this stage. After the age of six years, both
girls and boys should be separated and boys should play with boys and girls with
girls and they both should be taught the use of different arms.
Plato recommended censorship of literature and music to encourage the virtues
necessary in the guardian class, for making reason supreme. Censorship of
poetry, stories and tales was undertaken to ensure that the impressionable young
minds were not exposed to harmful ideas. Plato was particularly insistent that
children not fear death; otherwise they would not develop the courage needed on
the battlefield. Children were exposed to stories about gods and great
personalities to ensure their good moral upbringing. Plato’s idea was to shut off 53
 – II
BLOCK –II
all vices from the lives of the children. Training in the right virtues would create
BLOCK
EQUALITY
PLATO the perfect members of the guardian class. Education in these subjects was
followed by two years of compulsory military training. The guardians were
perfected as warriors. Luxury and self-indulgence was prohibited with the
purpose of strengthening the spirit. Plato reiterated the Athenian practice which
provided for compulsory military service between the age of seventeen and
twenty. Elementary education perfected those souls which were receptive to habit
and conditioning.
[Link] Higher Education
According to Plato, at the age of 20, the child must take an examination that
would determine whether or not to pursue higher education. Those who failed in
the examination were asked to take up activities in the community such as
businessmen, clerks, workers, farmers and the like. These selections were in
accordance with the age and stage to which these students were admitted. Plato
emphasised that education must start early. The first course in the scheme would
last ten years from the age group of twenty five to thirty years, and in this age
they get the training of Mathematical calculation and last for another ten years,
after the completion the selected ones are admitted in the study of dialect. Here
students undergo mathematical training preparatory to dialectic. Plato has
highlighted the qualities needed for an individual to enter higher education. He
proclaimed that preference should be given to the surest, bravest, fairest and
those who have the natural gifts to facilitate their education. From the age thirty
to thirty five, Plato restricted the study of dialectic to this age because he felt that
an individual should be mature enough to carry on the study in dialectics,
especially about ultimate principles of reality. In the next stage, from thirty five
to fifty years, according to Plato, an individual is ready as a philosopher or ruler,
to return to practical life to take command in war and hold such offices of state as
befits him. After reaching 50, one should spend the life in contemplation of “the
Good” as their chief pursuit should be philosophy and should participate in
politics, and rule for the good of the people as a matter of their duty.

The Platonic approach to education comprises the following aspects: sciences

and arts, which were to be communicated by teachers to their pupils; moral
virtue, necessary for teachers and students, and finally political institutions,
which were connected with the learning process. The true goal of education for
both Plato and Aristotle was to inculcate the values of civic virtues. They framed
an educational curriculum that would impart “a moral liberal education rather
than a study of political science. What they sought was rather a frame of mind
which will respond in a just, responsible and self restrained manner to public
issues”. Both believed that education by injecting into the citizens a sense of
rights and obligations would be an effective remedy for corruption and instability
that affected the states of their times. They were convinced that a system of
education controlled and regulated by the state would teach the citizens the
traditions and laws of the state.
54
 Plato: Education
4.3 THOUGHTS ON WOMEN
In Republic, Plato, through dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon, suggests that
the guardian women should perform the same job as the male guardians. Some
may follow convention and object that women should be given different jobs
because they differ from men by nature. However, for Plato, the natural
differences between men and women are not relevant when it comes to the jobs
of protecting and ruling the city. Both sexes are naturally suited for these
tasks. He goes on to argue that the measure of allowing the women to perform
the same tasks as the men in this way is not only feasible but also best. This is
the case since the most suited people for the job will be performing it.
He also goes on to propose that there should be no separate families among the
members of the guardian class: the guardians will possess all the women and
children in common. Plato abolished the idea of private family and property for
the guardian class, for it encouraged nepotism, favouritism, factionalism and
other corrupt practices among the rulers. For Plato, politics did not mean
promoting one’s personal interests; instead, it was to promote the common good.
Plato proposed that the members of the guardian class live together in common,
like soldiers in barracks. The Platonic scheme was based on the idea that women
and men were identical in natural endowment and faculties. There were two ideas
that were embedded in Plato’s communism of wives: reform of conventional
marriage, and emancipation of women. To achieve this, Plato proposed abolition
of permanent monogamous marriages and private families. These were restricted
to guardian women alone. Firstly, for Plato, conventional marriage led to the
women’s subordination, subjugation and seclusion. He rejected the idea of
marriage as a spiritual union based on love and mutual respect. However,
marriage was necessary to ensure reproduction and continuation of human race.
He, therefore, advocated temporary sexual unions solely for the purpose of
bearing children. Plato further stipulated the age for both men and women for
begetting children. He stated that the proper age for begetting children women
should be between the age of 20 and 40 and men between 25 and 55 because at
this time, the physical and intellectual vigour is more. Plato advocated that the
best guardian men will also be allowed to have sexual intercourse with best
guardian women for the purpose of giving birth to children with similar natures.
The philosopher ruler would decide on these sexual unions. Once born, the
children will be taken away to a rearing pen to be taken care of by nurses and the
parents will not be allowed to know who their own children are. Except for the
philosopher ruler, none would have the knowledge of the true parentage of the
children.
Secondly, Plato pushes for women’s emancipation from patriarchal family on the
ground of their equality with men in all aspects, if given the same conditions of
upbringing up, education and opportunities. Therefore, confining women into
domestic chores was wasting half of the potential social talent. He states that -
“So far then in regulating the positions of women, we may claim to have come
safely through one hazardous proposition that male and female guardians shall 55
 – II
BLOCK –II
have all occupations in common. The consistency of the argument is an assurance
BLOCK
EQUALITY
PLATO that the plan is good and also feasible.” And henceforth, he moves to argue the
indispensable need to abolish the institution of family itself for the ruling classes.
Plato argues the abolition of family on the basis that the family is linked with
property and is equally distractive and corrupting as property. The rulers must not
waste time and energy in familial responsibility, but devote themselves in the
invention of the truth, i.e. in the comprehension of the Idea of Good.
Among Plato’s reasons for offering his idea of communism of wives and
property were these: that those who exercise political power should have no
economic motives, and those who are engaged in economic activities should have
no share in political power. He, however, permitted the third social class to enjoy
private family and property, but under strict supervision of the guardians. He
subordinated both the guardians and artisans to a moral ideal: welfare of the state.
While guardians were entrusted with the task of ruling and governance, they
would lead strict and austere lives. The artisans did not have any say or right to
participate in the political processes, but enjoyed emotional ties and had
possessions unlike the guardians. Plato, for his part, played fair with both the
sections of the society in terms of rewards and denials. The characteristics of his
ideal state included class, communism, civility, control, contentment and
consensus.

4.3.1 Criticism
Through the communism of wives, Plato challenges that very notion and
conventions of human society. While for Plato, his scheme might appear to be
liberating, it rather implies excessive restriction and regimentation of the society
with no space for privacy and individuality. Aristotle also disagreed with this
idea by emphasising that family and private property were important for the
happiness of the individual and welfare of the state. Aristotle looked to the family
as a natural institution and questioned Plato’s wisdom in abolishing it. Popper
called Plato anti-individualist and anti-social change. He said that Plato’s denial
of owning property by the guardian class and then, the denial of family and
children are against the interest of the individuals. For Popper, in Plato’s Ideal
State, individuals are like commodities or tools or instruments of state, which are
always under the command of the one who controls the State. Plato wanted to
maintain his Ideal State as it was originally instituted. He did not like to make
any changes to his Ideal State. His views on communism of wives and property,
the way he advocated on eugenics, his scheme of education all reflected his
hesitation towards social change.

Check Your Progress Exercise 1

Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
ii) Check your progress with the model answer given at the end of
the unit.
1. Discuss Plato’s ideas on Women.
56
…………………………………………………………………………...……
 …………………………………………………………………………...…… Plato: Education

…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……

4.4 CRITIQUE OF DEMOCRACY

Plato viewed democracy as a step in the inevitable descent into tyranny for
societies undergoing political decay. Plato explains that democracies are
susceptible to “tyranny of the majority” and rule by demagoguery. To understand
Plato’s critique of democracy, it is important to outline his analogy between the
soul and the city. He introduces this in Book II of the Republic where he says that
“…let us first inquire into the nature of justice and injustice in the city…” The
most just form of governance, the aristocracy, is joined with the philosopher-king
who has the necessary qualities to rule a just society.
Plato describes four kinds of societies: First, a timocratic society, where the
courageous soldiers have usurped for themselves the privilege of making
decisions that properly belongs only to its better-educated rulers. A timocratic
person is, therefore, someone who is more concerned with defending personal
honour than with wisely choosing what is truly best. Second, an oligarchic
government in which both classes of guardian have been pressed into the service
of a ruling group comprising few powerful and wealthy citizens. By analogy, an
oligarchic society is one where every thought and action is devoted to the self-
indulgent goal of amassing greater wealth. Third, a democratic government
where promises of equality for all of its citizens are made but it delivers only
anarchy. In democracy, members are interested in the pursuit of private interests.
Fourth, the tyrannical society where a single individual has gained control,
restoring order in place of anarchy, but serving only personal welfare instead of
the interests of the whole city. For Plato, a society organised in the ideally
efficient way is said to have an aristocratic government. Similarly, an aristocratic
person is one who’s rational, spirit, and appetitive souls work together properly.
Such governments and people are the most genuine examples of true justice at
the social and personal levels.
According to Plato, aristocracy inevitably gives way to a lesser form of
governance due to the fallibility of human nature. One faction is “Iron and
bronze,” who are drawn to the accumulation of wealth. The other is “Gold and
silver,” who try in vain to bring the “opposition back to virtue and the inherited
order.” The factionalism represents a move to timocracy, a compromise between
aristocracy and oligarchy. The greatest good, which was wisdom under
aristocratic rule, has now become the pursuit of wealth under the guise of the
oligarchic soul. Oligarchy then transitions to democracy, as the accumulation of
wealth in the hands of a few sows discontent in an expanding underclass of
citizenry. Plato describes democracy’s inception as “either by force of arms or by 57
 – II
BLOCK –II
the use of terror which compels the opposition to withdraw.” The subsequent
BLOCK
EQUALITY
PLATO paramount freedoms that democracy upholds serve to damage the city, as the
“permissiveness” of the democratic city enables the manifestation of tyranny.
Plato sees democracy as more dangerous than oligarchy because although the two
share the same damaging characteristics, the democratic city “has embraced
anarchy,” and the class of people that motivates the poor against the wealthy
rulers, is dominant. Finally, the descent into tyranny is marked by the entrance of
the aforementioned demagogue, who benefits from democracy’s “propensity to
elevate and glorify one man as the people’s protector and champion.” Plato’s
critique of democracy is that democracy does not place a premium on wisdom
and knowledge seeking as an inherent good. Instead, democracy suffers from the
failures as it prioritizes wealth and property accumulation as the highest good.
For Plato what is worse is that democracy embraces total freedom (which Plato
calls “anarchy”) and unnecessary “appetites,” which crowd out the ruler’s
responsibilities of virtuous governance, to control the democratic soul.
This was a common chain of political perspective that is found in Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle. All three spoke about defending the values, way of life and
attitudes of an aristocracy that was on a decline. This was so because Plato wrote
at a time when Athens was at a crossroads after defeat in the Peloponnesian War.
Although the defeat was largely due to the military strategy of Athens, Plato
castigated the Athenian democracy for the failure. For Plato, revitalisation and
reformation of the aristocracy was crucial so that it could once again become the
basis of civic life. This was seen as the best way to counter the sweep of
democratic revolution that was led by traders, artisans and merchants along with
the rising materialism and individualism that was engulfing the Athenian society.
Plato equated democratisation with moral corruption and degradation and
endeavoured to reform and revolutionise the general quality of human life. The
Republic was a kind of rebuttal to what Plato viewed as Athenian way of life and
its participatory democracy. He dismissed the participation of Greek male adults
in political processes and forming of political opinion as unnecessary and
amateurish. For him, democracy was nothing but incompetence of the politicians
which had given rise to factionalism, violence, and partisan politics leading to
political instability. For Plato, democracy did not value highly gifted persons.
Plato has been criticised for his comments on democracy. For example, Isaiah
Berlin pointed out that Plato does not grant individual the freedom of choice and
rejects pluralism or acceptance of different value systems and lifestyles within a
society. Popper, for his part, characterised Plato as anti-individual, anti-humanist
and anti-democratic having the aim of arresting all social development and
change. This was achieved by establishing a society that was regimented,
hierarchical, and unequal, where the value of an individual was based on his
contribution to the social whole. It was the interest of the ruling elite that
mattered in the Platonic ideal state. For Popper, this was reinforced with the help
of censorship, ban on innovation in education, legislation, and propaganda.
Politically this state exercised total control and economically, it was autarchy.
58
Check Your Progress Exercise 2 Plato: Education

Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.

ii) Check your progress with the model answer given at the end of
the unit.
1. Describe four types of societies discussed by Plato.
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...……

4.5 LET US SUM UP

Plato grew up during the Peloponnesian war which began before he was born and
lasted until he was 23 years old. The demoralization of Athens due to defeat
during the war led to an oligarchy revolution, followed by a savage tyranny that
finally gave way to the re-establishment of a democratic constitution. His
thoughts on democracy are well explained in The Republic and in Plato we find
the fiercest critic of democracy which he viewed as a step in the inevitable
descent into tyranny for societies undergoing political decay. Plato equated
democratisation with moral corruption and degradation and endeavoured to
reform and revolutionise the general quality of human life. The Republic was a
kind of rebuttal to what Plato viewed as Athenian way of life and its participatory
democracy.
One of the key tenets of his philosophy is his theory of education. It is not a
surprise that Plato founded The Academy in 387 BC, the first institution of
higher learning in Greece. It became the intellectual centre in Greece and the
equivalent of the first university in the history of Europe. In The Republic, Plato
sets up a theory of what education means for both the individual and the state,
focusing on the important role of those who must carefully choose the material to
teach the future guardians of the state. Plato's curriculum was carefully planned
to include training for the spirit (music) and training for the body (gymnastics),
with more difficult academic subjects added when the child is developmentally
ready. What is visible in his structure of imparting education is that Plato
supported a type of vocational education, education to complete one’s role in life;
education for the producers, the guardians and the philosopher kings, enough
education to do one’s job well, but each grouped according to one’s abilities.
Plato insisted on the great importance of the role of education, to bring the young
to gradually behold eternal and absolute truths and values; to be saved from
passing their lives in the shadow world of error, falsehood, prejudice and
blindness to true values.
59
 – II
BLOCK –II
Another very critical evaluation was that Plato saw equality in men and women
BLOCK
EQUALITY
PLATO in their personhood. He was one of the first to propose equal education for men
and women based on their ability to learn, not on their gender. He viewed the
suppression of women as a waste of human resources which denied society
access to the best possible guardians. In The Republic, Plato explains two ways
for the social organisation of the ideal state, the first that the function of
guardianship is to be performed by men and women alike, the second that for the
guardians the private household and therefore, the institution of marriage is to be
abolished, since the guardians do not own property and the care of children is to
be a communal responsibility. Plato believed that the interests of the state are
best preserved if children are raised and educated by the society as a whole,
rather than by their biological parents. So he proposed a scheme for the bearing,
nurturing, and training of children in the guardian class. The presumed pleasures
of family life, Plato held, are among the benefits that the higher classes of a
society must be prepared to forego.

4.6 REFERENCES
Richard Kraut (ed.). (1992). The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Cambridge
University Press.
Julia Annas (2003). Plato: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
Subrata Mukherjee and Sushila Ramaswamy. (2007). A History of Political
Thought. Prentice Hall. India.
K.R. Popper. (1945). The Open Society and Its Enemies. Routledge.
Isaiah Berlin. (1969). Four Concepts of Liberty. Oxford University Press.

4.7 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress Exercise 1
1. Your answer should highlight the following points:
 Conventional marriage let to women’s subjugation
 Pushes for women’s emancipation from patriarchal family
Check Your Progress Exercise 2
1. Your answer should highlight the following points:
 Timocratic
 Oligarchic
 Democratic
 Tyrannical

60