PLATO’S CLASS DISTINCTION: THE BACKDROP OF CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION

PLATO’S CLASS DISTINCTION:
THE BACKDROP OF CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE…………………………………………………………………………i

CERTIFICATION…………………………………………………….…….ii

DEDICATION……………………………………………………………….iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT……………………………………………………..iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………vi

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………….viii

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL BACKGROUND

1.1     Plato’s Background……………………………………………..1

1.2     His Works and Chronology……………………………………..4

1.3     Plato’s Class Distinction………………………………………..8

1.4     Plato’s Intention for the Distinction……………………………15

CHAPTER TWO

VIEWS ON CLASS DISTINCTION

2.1           
          Aristolte’s
view……………………………………………….18

2.2           
          Karl Marx’s
view……………………………………………..20

2.3           
          Sociological
views……………………………………………22

2.4           
          The tenability
of Egalitarianism………………………………26

CHAPTER
THREE

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION.

3.1     The Notion of Education……………………………………..30

3.2     Ancient Theories………………………………………………32

3.3     Early Christian Education…………………… ……………….35

3.4     Medieval Education…………………………………………..37

3.5     Modern/Contemporary Education…………………………….41

CHAPTER FOUR

PLATO’S CLASS DISTINCTION AND CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION.

4.1                 
Practical Implications of Plato’s Class Distinction…………..43

4.2                 
Nature of Contemporary Education………………………….47

4.3                 
Influence of Plato’s Class Distinction on Contemporary
Education……………………………………………………..49

CHAPTER
FIVE.

CRITICAL EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION.

5.1     
          Critical Notes
on Plato’s Class Distinction……………………55

5.2     
          The defects
and Impact of Contemporary Education………….59

5.3     
          Conclusion…………………………………………………….60       

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………63

INTRODUCTION

The integral nature of the
human society makes the interaction of one another within the society
necessary. Thus, there exist economic, social, religious and political
institutions that foster this required integration. The popular John Donne’s
phrase that ‘no man is an island’ advocates a complementarity of each other’s
capacity for a wholesome society. Aristotle in his Politics asserted
that nature intends man to live in a society. “He who is unable to live in
society or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself must either be
a beast or a god.”[1] It
is only in a society therefore that man can develop his potentialities as a
human being. The state, which is described as an organized political community,
becomes therefore a plat-form for the realization of this natural need for
complementarity.

For Plato, the nature of
the state requires a division of labour so that the diverse needs of man within
the state would be met. The outcome of this division, if followed according to
the natural disposition of each to his class, is justice in the state and
happiness for the individuals within the state.

The itinerary of Plato’s
class distinction within the state as he proposed for the then Athenian state
left a significant mark on education. Through out the history of the
development of education, some imports of Plato’s political propositions seemed
evident especially in contemporary education. In a bid to make this clearer, it
is necessary in this introductory part to state the purpose, scope, method and
division of this work.

PUROSE OF STUDY

Having stated the nature
of the human society and the necessity of the state above, I intend to look at
Plato’s view of the ideal state. His propositions on the nature of the ideal
state introduce the role of education while answering the questions of ‘who’
occupies ‘which’ class in the three classes of his ideal state.  The end of this would be to explain how his
class distinction remains the backdrop of contemporary education.

SCOPE OF WORK

This work examines Plato’s
proposition for an ideal (Athenian) state through his class distinctions in the
state. A look at different views on this class distinction gives more
explanation to the reality of different classes within a state/society. With an
inference of the implications of Plato’s class distinction and a look on the
nature of contemporary education, the influence of the former on the latter is
easily brought to limelight.

METHODOLOGY

Expository method is
employed in explaining Plato’s propositions for an ideal state and the
distinctions in class within the state. However, an analytic tone underlies the
whole thesis purposely for realizing the philosophical evaluation of the
influence of his (Plato’s) class distinction in contemporary education.

DIVISION OF WORK

Apart from this
introductory part, this work comprises five chapters. The first chapter exposes
the general background of Plato’s political philosophy, which also treats his
idea of the make up of the ideal state. The second explores some views on class
distinction, which is concluded with the tenability of egalitarianism. Chapter
three traces the historical development of education from the ancient to the
contemporary ages of education. Chapter four derives the practical implications
of Plato’s class distinction from which the influence of the class distinction
on contemporary education is gleaned. Chapter five makes a critical evaluation
on Plato’s class distinction and the impact of contemporary education.