Plato and His Perception of The Universe - Article Example

Plato presents his perception of the universe in the Timaeus. According to him, the universe is the handiwork of a divine Craftsman. Mathematical order has to be imposed on this uinverse, which is besieged with pre-existing chaos and this generates an ordered universe (Donald, 2005). According to Plato, the universe is unchanging and the true knowledge remains same in every place at every time, education too should be unchanging like the true knowledge. At the same time, education does not occur in a vacuum. Various factors influence the education system. The ideal education system would prepare each class of people for their various roles in the society. This universe has not come into existence by chance but has a purpose and has been intelligently crafted. The souls on this universe are at different levels of evolution. Through understanding and emulation, the souls can be restored to their original state of excellence. This requires education and work according to each one’s level of evolution. This led to the division of the society into different classes. In The Republic, he said "...compulsory learning never sticks in the mind." Plato believed that children would never learn unless they wanted to learn. Hence, it was essential that education should commensurate with their level of evolution. This called for segregation of classes, so that each group could be educated in their special field. Plato’s educational thought is his portrayal of the ideal society or the ‘ideal polis’ in The Republic. His ‘ideal polis’ consists of three classes of citizens - the Guardians (ruler of the polis), the Auxiliaries (Guardians who remain warriors), and Craftsmen (the rest of the citizens). This model society according to Plato should be ruled by highly intelligent philosopher-kings. Plato believed that Guardians are the best members of the society because they are best able to preserve the city. Therefore, he argued, that the Guardians should be the ones who ought to rule the city (412a-c). In The Republic, Plato demonstrates that the vision of an ‘ideal polis’ is the main thesis of a dialogue that justice is the foundation of a good political order and hence in everyone’s interest. It is the interest of the entire political community. It inculcates a sense of unity and keeps the polis healthy. Plato’s ideas was that those who love their polis the most would love the polis the best. The reason he cited was that if we love something, we identify ourselves with that to the extent that we are even willing to sacrifice our life for that unit. Guardians therefore would be willing to do anything for the well-being of their polis. Plato says human beings are social animals and incapable of living alone. As such, he is likely to be influenced by the society in which he lives. According to Plato, to keep such influences from spoiling the society, Guardians would make such rulers who could retain their convictions even in the face of corrupting influences. The elite amongst the Guardians who have been tested and demonstrated that they can maintain their commitment to he city, should be made the rulers of the society. (413d-414a). Plato wanted stable characters that could remain unchanged against the forces that threaten the good of the society. Plato believed that education does not occur in a vacuum and there are four influences on education according to him - societal trends, cultural norms, geographic influences, and historical events. According to the mathematical principle, the ‘Myth of the Platonic Number’, whatever is born must die. The ideal polis too has to decline and perish. Civil strife would arise out of envy and hostility. Plato argued that people need one another and nobody can exist in seclusion. We have to become a part of a group or community to become self-sufficient. This according to him was a just life, which relies on the harmony among the members and the groups in the polis (Diliman). Hence, the necessity to segregate the society into different classes who can perform their natural functions. The purpose of the polis was the attainment of the ‘highest good’. Plato believed that a certain set of values should be imposed upon the youth. Through the process of education, values could be accepted and integrated. He argued that culture and education are closely related. He did not believe in false stories of heroes and God being narrated to the children. Cultural norms and development of a moral character should not only be a part of education but should be considered the hallmark of success instead of academic excellence. Educational programs should be balanced between personal and professional objectives (Reid). The adult citizens or the Guardians should shape their polis according to the values they believed in – the culture that was ingrained in them when they were children. The values imposed in youth are vital for development and preservation. (Cicovacki, 2001). The cultural norms to be instilled have to be decided by some authority and that authority according to Plato should be the Guardians of the polis. He felt educators or Guardians need to demonstrate a great deal of moral responsibility towards those they teach. The polis through the Guardians has to impose a certain set of publicly accepted values in education. He wanted that the members of his polis should accept the values that were most suitable for the well-being of the entire polis but he did not want that they accept the values simply because it was imposed on them. They should develop love and appreciation for learning. He conceptualized that educational requirements differ at various stages in life. Societal trends change continuously. Requirements at each age also constantly change as the material world is ever changing. Education has to be based on such changes and requirements. Exercise, discipline, story telling and games have all been given importance. Children learn the three R’s when they first enter school. They then get engaged in music and sports. Then the philosopher guardians follow a set path until the age of 50. At the age of eighteen, they undergo military and physical training. They go in for higher studies at 21 and at 30 they begin to study philosophy and then serve the polis through the army or the civil service. At 50 they are ready to rule. His has been called the lifelong education and a model of the ‘learning society’. The educators service the polis and it can grow only when serviced by its members. Plato believed that as students move out of primary school, the middle schools has the responsibility to make them into good citizens. As one comes into the middle schools, one encounters with different people who are practically strangers and have a different way of life. The middle school has to prepare the students to tackle this situation. Earlier this was not necessary but today with immigrants flooding other nations, this is of importance. Historical events have caused America today to have inhabitants from diverse backgrounds. The lifestyle and the values that children in the same class can have are varied. Social ambition threaten the basic human pursuit of wisdom. After the middle school, the high school subjects the students to two different options. Most people needed education to acquire skills, which would help them to move into the work force; a few students went in for higher education. Today the schools fail in their responsibility in their collateral task of socializing. They are not fit place for education. Plato stressed that the economic arena keeps changing and the schools become venues for ‘negative socialization’ (CECMPE, 1996). The geographic influences too have a bearing on education. Through The Allegory of the Cave, Plato explained how the level of education could differ (Kemerling, 1997). Those who have been confined all their lives in a cave with a huge fire lit behind them, can only see their own shadow all their lives. These people cannot fully understand what they see. Suppose one of them escapes the caves and surfaces up. He will initially have a difficult time adjusting as his eyes are used to the dim light within the caves. After being blinded for some time by the brightness of the new world, he will gradually come to appreciate the nature, trees, and mountains. When he returns to the cave to persuade the others to see the outside world, Plato feels they are unlikely to pay heed as they are contented. On the other hand, having glimpsed the new world, having acquired new knowledge, the escapee would not like to remain stifled within the cave any more. This allegory is the state of representation of human existence. We continue to live in a dark and poorly lit world without the light of knowledge. To cross the barriers of place, to overcome environmental influences, someone should be appointed to bring everyone into the light of education. This further enforces that education cannot occur in a vacuum. Plato further argued that societal norms differ from one polis to another; the constitution differs. There was a continuous struggle between the rich rulers and the poor work force. Their conception of justice too differed. He believed that what is ‘good’ is natural. The concept of ‘good’ is rooted in human nature. Human nature has to be understand through reason. Reason allows us to reach the unchanging world of ideas. Through reason human accepts his natural role in the ‘polis’. Plato did not believe in differentiating between men and women as far as education is concerned. Women should be assigned to the same functions in any society. He also wanted that children be raised by the society as a whole ant merely by their biological parents. He felt that the best in any human could be evoked if the right people were given the responsibility to train and develop the children and the society. In the ideal polis envisaged by Plato, justice should rule and there would be no fundamental conflict between public and private values. There would no conflict between an individual as a person and as a citizen, for his interest, as both an individual and a citizen would be identical. This does not mean that problems would not arise but education would be such that they would know how to settle such conflicts and problems. He also stressed that there is a continuous development and growth within an individual. Inner harmony could be disturbed but it would have to be restored again. Just as in a human body tissues and cells are constantly replaced, so also the education system, the values have to be reintegrated and adjusted. Thus, education cannot occur in a vacuum because Plato’s ideal polis can be accomplished only when education is based on various factors. It is only through the growth of an individual that a society can flourish. References: CECMPE (1996), The Crisis In Education, 19 April 2006 Cicovacki P (2001), Reconciling Socratic and Platonic Conceptions of Education, Diotima, 19 April 2006 Zeyl, Donald, "Platos Timaeus", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2005 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . Diliman (n.d.), “Greek Legacy to Critical Thinking”, 19 April 2006 Kemerling G (1997), Plato: Education and the Value of Justice, 19 April 2006 Reid H L (n.d.), The Educational Value of Platos Early Socratic Dialogues, 19 April 2006 Read More