Platonic education : teaching virtue in a constantly changing moral culture
In this thesis I shall argue (1) that for Plato âmoralâ education, rightly understood (or âPlatonic educationâ as I shall call it), can be an effective method for cultivating virtue in non-ideal societies; (2) that Platonic education is a process that occurs (or Plato hopes might occur) through an engagement with some of the dialogues; (3) that Platonic education strongly mirrors Sokratic discourse in its aims; (4) that Platoâs whole approach to education should be understood mainly from the context of the problem of teaching virtue in imperfect societies; (5) that Plato intends some of the dialogues to serve as a propaedeutic for a possible education in virtue and not as a method for creating fully virtuous people. Lastly, (6) Platonic education is primarily concerned with human virtue, and insofar as it can support a notion or notions of civic virtue, it cannot do so unequivocally. The evidence for these claims is found not chiefly in the educational programmes and theories of the Republic and the Laws but in a number of techniques, such as protreptic rhetoric, life-models, argumentation, and myth, which Plato employs in some of the dialogues. Platonic education is specifically designed to function
Hart, Michael Richard
B Philosophy (General)
Platonic education : teaching virtue in a constantly changing moral culture. In this thesis I shall argue (1) that for Plato âmoralâ education, rightly understood (or âPlatonic educationâ as I shall call it), can be an effective method for cultivating virtue in non-ideal societies; (2) that Platonic education is a process that occurs (or Plato hopes might occur) through an engagement with some of the dialogues; (3) that Platonic education strongly mirrors Sokratic discourse in its aims; (4) that Platoâs whole approach to education should be understood mainly from the context of the problem of teaching virtue in imperfect societies; (5) that Plato intends some of the dialogues to serve as a propaedeutic for a possible education in virtue and not as a method for creating fully virtuous people. Lastly, (6) Platonic education is primarily concerned with human virtue, and insofar as it can support a notion or notions of civic virtue, it cannot do so unequivocally. The evidence for these claims is found not chiefly in the educational programmes and theories of the Republic and the Laws but in a number of techniques, such as protreptic rhetoric, life-models, argumentation, and myth, which Plato employs in some of the dialogues. Platonic education is specifically designed to function
platonic education teaching virtue constantly change moral culture shall_argue plato moral_education rightly understood platonic education shall call effective method cultivate virtue non ideal society platonic education process occur plato hop might occur engagement dialogue platonic education strongly mirror discourse aim plato whole education understood mainly context problem teach virtue imperfect society plato intend dialogue serve possible education virtue method create fully virtuous people lastly platonic education primarily_concern human virtue insofar support notion notion civic_virtue evidence claim find chiefly educational_programme theory republic laws number technique rhetoric life models argumentation myth plato employ dialogue platonic education specifically_design function