Plato and Education (RLE Edu K)

This introduction to Platos philosophical and educational thought examines Platos views and relates them to issues and questions that occupy philosophers of education. Robin Barrow stresses the relevance of Plato today, while introducing the student both to Platos philosophy and to contemporary educational debate. In the first part of the book the author examines Platos historical background and summarizes the Republic. Successive chapters are concerned with the critical discussion of specific educational issues. He deals with questions relating to the impartial distribution of education, taking as a starting point Platos celebrated dictum that unequals should be treated unequally. He examines certain methodological concepts such as discovery-learning and play and also raises the wider question of childrens freedom. He looks critically at the content of the curriculum and discusses Platos theory of knowledge and attitude to art. Finally Robin Barrow discusses Platos view of moral education and the related problem of what constitutes moral indoctrination