In Modern society, teachers contribute to the education system by shaping students into responsible individuals and preparing them for society’s obstacles. Yet, there are various ways in which education is implemented, and to Plato and Freire, their views on education differ greatly. Freire suggests that students should not be empty ‘banks’ that are ‘filled’ with deposits of information by their teachers. Instead, teachers and students should engage in discussion and reflection so that critical thinking is encouraged. For Plato, education helps guide men out of the ‘cave’ of ignorance and into the ‘light’ of knowledge and reality. Students already know everything they need to know; teachers act as facilitators in helping students recollect
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The man in the cave is restrained and can only see straight at the shadows presented by the light from the fire. Like the uneducated man, he is unaware of his ignorance. However, when he is freed from restraints, he is introduced to new life, and the sun, and he is met with an understanding of reality. Man’s gradual transition from ignorance to knowledge is shown through the theory of the line in The Republic (Book VI), which shows how there are two worlds, the visible and intelligible world. It is in the intelligible world that man goes beyond imagination and attains the form of the good, the most important thing man can know. Plato says, “…the things that are known not only get their being-known furnished by the good, but they’re also endowed by that source with the very being and their being what they are” (Republic 509b). Thus, Plato is suggesting that education should guide people out of the cave of ignorance and into the light of knowledge and truth. He also suggests that man should return to the cave to guide others out, implying that people of knowledge should reciprocate the action. Plato’s idea of education is further explained in Euthyphro, when Socrates consistently asks Euthyphro what the definition of piety is. Euthyphro replies each time with an example of what he thinks piety is, but he cannot give a true definition to Socrates. Socrates rejects his responses and says “ the same things then are loved by the gods and hated by the gods, would be both god-loved and god-hated” (Euthyphro 9). Socrates asks Euthyphro to explain his beliefs, but then questions and rejects his answer. In Euthyphro, Plato’s idea of education is facilitating students to come up with the truth on their own. It is by accepting their ignorance that the students can learn to think for themselves by accepting alternate
The man in the cave is restrained and can only see straight at the shadows presented by the light from the fire. Like the uneducated man, he is unaware of his ignorance. However, when he is freed from restraints, he is introduced to new life, and the sun, and he is met with an understanding of reality. Man’s gradual transition from ignorance to knowledge is shown through the theory of the line in The Republic (Book VI), which shows how there are two worlds, the visible and intelligible world. It is in the intelligible world that man goes beyond imagination and attains the form of the good, the most important thing man can know. Plato says, “…the things that are known not only get their being-known furnished by the good, but they’re also endowed by that source with the very being and their being what they are” (Republic 509b). Thus, Plato is suggesting that education should guide people out of the cave of ignorance and into the light of knowledge and truth. He also suggests that man should return to the cave to guide others out, implying that people of knowledge should reciprocate the action. Plato’s idea of education is further explained in Euthyphro, when Socrates consistently asks Euthyphro what the definition of piety is. Euthyphro replies each time with an example of what he thinks piety is, but he cannot give a true definition to Socrates. Socrates rejects his responses and says “ the same things then are loved by the gods and hated by the gods, would be both god-loved and god-hated” (Euthyphro 9). Socrates asks Euthyphro to explain his beliefs, but then questions and rejects his answer. In Euthyphro, Plato’s idea of education is facilitating students to come up with the truth on their own. It is by accepting their ignorance that the students can learn to think for themselves by accepting alternate