In Plato’s Republic, education is the primary means of creating the model citizen for the state. Education is, in other words, the means of ensuring children grow up to be well-adjusted, high-performing citizens loyal to the state. But Plato (in the person of Socrates) makes certain stipulations about what that education should be in terms of its curriculum, and in regards to who designs it which indicate Plato is, in fact, espousing indocrtination, as opposed to education, as a means to ensuring the vitality of the state.
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But before examining this thesis any further, particularly in regards to its importance in the modern day, it is important to discuss Plato’s notion of how children in the Republic are to be educated. After this, one must consider the deeper implications of what Plato calls “education,” in contrast to what one might otherwise call indoctrination. Lastly, a consideration of this problem’s relevance in the modern day will follow, in suit.
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To begin with, Plato (in the person of Socrates) holds that children should be taught certain things in order …show more content…
Not only does Plato think these fables should be true—but also, “beautiful.” As Socrates goes on to state:
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“...even if the deeds of Cronus, and his son’s treatement of him, were authentic facts, it would not have been right, I should have thought, to tell them without the least researc to young and thoughtless persons: on the contrary, it would be best to suppress them altogether: or, if for some reasons they must be told, they should be imparted under the seal of secrecy to as few hearers as possible and after the sacrifice, not of a pig, but of some rare and costly victim, which might aid to the utmost testricting in their number.” (Cahn, 1997, 49)
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This selective truth telling is important, as Socrates further notes:
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But before examining this thesis any further, particularly in regards to its importance in the modern day, it is important to discuss Plato’s notion of how children in the Republic are to be educated. After this, one must consider the deeper implications of what Plato calls “education,” in contrast to what one might otherwise call indoctrination. Lastly, a consideration of this problem’s relevance in the modern day will follow, in suit.
--------------------------
To begin with, Plato (in the person of Socrates) holds that children should be taught certain things in order …show more content…
Not only does Plato think these fables should be true—but also, “beautiful.” As Socrates goes on to state:
--------------------------
“...even if the deeds of Cronus, and his son’s treatement of him, were authentic facts, it would not have been right, I should have thought, to tell them without the least researc to young and thoughtless persons: on the contrary, it would be best to suppress them altogether: or, if for some reasons they must be told, they should be imparted under the seal of secrecy to as few hearers as possible and after the sacrifice, not of a pig, but of some rare and costly victim, which might aid to the utmost testricting in their number.” (Cahn, 1997, 49)
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This selective truth telling is important, as Socrates further notes: