The Great Teachers of Humankind: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle

Today education is one of the prime concern of our country. Recently in a report published by UNESCO where it is mentioned that Bangladesh is suffering from quality teachers in all levels.

There are only 14 government teachers training colleges whereas the number of colleges nearly about four thousand. Without proper training good teachers cannot be produced. It is a bitter truth that most of the teachers are transmitting knowledge without knowing the philosophical background of knowledge which was developed long before Jesus Christ.

Great teachers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle had played a pioneering role shaping education and civilization. They have given the foundation to philosophical thoughts on education. Now we shall look into their thoughts and ideas which will help our understanding of educational philosophy.

The thinkers of ancient Greece left profound marks of original thought in areas such as education, literature, art, culture, philosophy and science for the development of individuals and the welfare of the society. One of the great teacher Socrates did not leave behind any writings on paper or parchment. Because he believed in imprinting his ideas in the hearts of the people.

In ancient times, Greece was divided into several small city-states, among which Sparta and Athens were the most prominent, where true Greek culture developed in their highest form through physical and mental exercise.

It will not be considered irrelevant if we discuss briefly the system of education in Sparta. The population of Sparta was not very large, and there was always a fear of rebellion from the conquered peoples.

Because of this fear, the development of military strength became their top priority. Therefore, they emphasized military training for their children, and their educational ideals were shaped accordingly.

After birth, children were examined to determine whether they had the potential to become strong youths. Those deemed fit were allowed to live; otherwise, they were killed. It is known that they had immense trust in a wise citizen named Lycurgus, who established certain principles for their education.

Children of Sparta were kept under their mothers’ care until the age of seven, though the state bore all expenses. After seven, they were placed in state-supervised barracks where they followed strict discipline and were trained in physical exercise, warfare, and obedience. Girls, however, stayed at home instead of in the barracks.

In Sparta’s education and social welfare systems were prioritized, but have little opportunity for individual development. There was limited scope for the growth of humanity or personal character.

It was a system designed to serve society but not to nurture individuality. When Sparta conquered Athens, the weaknesses of its education became evident. Due to a lack of moral and intellectual strength, it became difficult to consolidate and govern Athens. At that point, Athenian educational thought began to dominate.

Athens developed its education policy to serve both individual and collective interests on a broader scale. It aimed to prepare citizens more for peace than for war.

The Athenians believed that if students received physical, mental, and moral education according to their abilities, preferences, and interests, it would lead to greater social welfare. Education was funded by the state, but students did not live in hostels; they stayed at home and go the house of their teachers.

Girls, however, had no access to education and were trained only for household duties. Slaves were responsible for escorting boys to teachers and supervising their behavior, which often resulted in weaker moral development.

Sparta aimed to produce ideal citizens through military education, whereas Athens focused on developing individual potential to prepare citizens for civic responsibilities.

Up to the 5th century BCE, these were the similarities and differences in educational philosophy. However, after expansion through conquest and exposure to new cultures, new ideas began to influence education, literature, religion, philosophy, and science. A new era began, bringing changes in educational philosophy.

Individualism became prominent, and the desire for personal fulfillment took precedence. Concern for societal welfare diminished, while the pursuit of pure knowledge gained importance. Thus, individualism emerged. During this time, a group of teachers known as the Sophists appeared.

They trained young people in rhetoric, making them skilled speakers. However, while they excelled in argumentation, they often became physically weak and unproductive. Traditionalists tried to return to older educational ideals, but once new ideas spread in society and it was difficult to resist. Only higher ideals can reconstruct thought. Socrates pointed out the errors of both the old and the new thinkers through his sharp reasoning.

Socrates stated: “Humans can judge all matters using their conscience and intellect, but not everyone can do so. For this, individuals with certain defined qualities—a ‘standard man’—are necessary.”

After making such statements, he became unpopular with both groups. Under pressure from traditionalists and by the judgment of the Athenian court, he was sentenced to death by drinking poison.

Death is the inevitable end of life, but Socrates embraced it and became immortal in history. His beloved student Plato was deeply affected by his death. He realized how difficult it was to bring people from darkness to light in a state that could execute a wise man like Socrates.

Plato preserved his teacher’s ideas through dialogues and also recorded them in written form. His famous work “The Republic ” has illuminated the path of humanity through the ages.

It has already mentioned that Socrates himself left no written works; he believed in engraving his ideas in living hearts rather than on lifeless paper. He taught through conversation and the question-answer method, which effectively stimulated curiosity among learners.

However, in today’s complex and vast fields of specialized knowledge, this method alone may not be sufficient.

Now, let us discuss the educational philosophy of Plato, the worthy disciple of Socrates. Plato was an idealist who placed supreme importance on ideas. For him, the soul was more important than the body, and the abstract more significant than the material.

His philosophy emphasized connecting with the ultimate reality. However, he did not neglect physical education, language, mathematics, social education, music, and aesthetics. In his academy, humanities were given more importance than science. In his envisioned Republic, he did not favor imaginative poets, as he preferred reason over emotion and imagination. Logic was central to his educational philosophy.

Now let us consider another Greek philosopher, Aristotle, and his thoughts on life, the world, and education. He is regarded as the father of logic and introduced inductive and deductive methods of reasoning. His works Ethics and Politics have been studied for centuries.

He also conducted research in biology and is known for classifying plants and animals. However, Greek thought had a sense of permanence; Aristotle viewed the world as static. This idea influenced education, emphasizing stability rather than change.

Such a perspective was not conducive to understanding the dynamic nature of life and reality. Nevertheless, intellectual progress did not stop, and its story continues ahead.
(The writer: Advisory Editor, The New Nation)