The problem of moral education in Plato's dialogue "Republic" remains relevant even today. Its main theme is the definition of one of the concepts of ethics - fairness. According to Plato, the issues of education are questions of philosophy. In this dialogue, Plato appears to us not only as a philosopher, but also as a teacher of young people, who put forward an elaborated concept of education of the person in response to the needs of the time. Plato developed new moral ideals of society and man by stating that only the wisest men are able to lead the state, therefore making philosophy and education key elements of raising the conscious citizens. Stating his concept of ideal state, Plato tries to show what should be a perfect society, its upbringing and relationship between its members. Plato describes a model of an ideal state, exposing types of government existed in his time to criticism. The philosopher sees his day reality as negative, retreating from the old, faithful traditions, guided by public opinion speculations. Therefore, by pointing out at the principles of education and fair division in the society Plato wants to revive morality and bring peace to the Ship of State.
In the Plato’s state there is a clear division of labor, private property, and the relationship between the demos and the aristocracy. Plato's state is run by a few so-called best rulers or philosophers, and in contrast to democracy, where the every citizen can become ruler, the state is controlled by only those citizens who are subjected to natural inclinations and long moral education (Plato 155-156). And this principle can unite all citizens of the polis. The entire population in this country is divided into three estates: philosophers, guardians and laborers. Plato concludes that if philosophers rule the polis, the gods of heaven will give them the principles of government from the world of ideas. Plato took people’s inherent properties as a basis for differentiation and distinction between people. At the base of an ideal social order is the principle of a successful division of labor and, consequently, the compatibility of needs of different classes. Giving moral assessment of each of the three classes, Plato gives them certain moral qualities. For philosophers the most valuable asset is the wisdom, for guardians – courage, and for laborers - moderation and restraining force. The very state and the form of government are endowed with the highest moral virtue - justice.
Plato believes that while philosophers will not manage the government, there will be evil and injustice (Plato 153-154). They will prevail until political power and philosophy do not merge into one. Plato is very concerned about the idea that if the administration of the state falls into the hands of the demos, the poor and disadvantaged will achieve access to public goods, hoping to snatch a piece from there. In Plato’s description of the ship it is clearly seen that sailors who fight for the right to pilot the ship will never reach consensus. In this way Plato prefers stability in the state instead of democratic rule. The highest manifestation of fairness in the state lies in the fact that every member does something according to his inborn characteristics. Guided by Plato’s logic, it can be said that each sailor on the ship should do his job, while only the captain should pilot it. (Plato 289)
Education is a process, incorporated in the concept of Plato’s fair society, as it prepares young children for fulfilling their role in the society. Upbringing and education of young people is divided into a number of stages in relation to the tasks to be performed by a person in a particular class of society. Young children from one to seven years are raised in special schools. According to Plato, the family education spoils the child's soul, as it makes it too pampered and gives moral vices. At the first stage education and training are reduced to music and gymnastics. Plato believed that there is an innate moral consciousness, on which education of the individual must be built. Plato characterizes the soul as not too good and not too evil. In his view, natural gifts of the individual play an important role. So he describes the soul as reasonable, affective and appetitive. The gods give these qualities to us, but they can be improved through training, education and giving ideas of philosophical content.
Education and training apply to children from guardians’ class as well. According to the nature they are divided into gold, silver and iron. For gold and silver stand children from philosophers’ and guardians’ class. Plato opposed the children of the third class having education and training and seeking for a better life. Wealth should not be in the hands of the third estate, as the wealth leads to laziness and luxury, but also poverty, which leads to servility, should not be its destiny. Everything should have its measure. Plato did not sympathize with the third estate (farmers, artisans and merchants); his sympathy is clearly on the philosophers’ and guardians’ side. The third estate is endowed with only one virtue the enlightened self-restraint. The philosopher argued against guardians’ private property. Their children, wives and the entire property should be administered by the state. Plato believed that private ownership of gold, silver, the money would divert guardians of their primary responsibilities - to protect the city from the enemy, because they have to focus all attention on the increase of their personal wealth (Plato 95-96).
In the proposed model of Plato's upbringing and education there is government free training. According to the established tradition in ancient Greece philosophers taught the children and young people for free. In early childhood children first learn the myths and fairy tales. From 8 to 18 years they are taught in the public schools music (which is good for the soul) and gymnastics (good for the body): “A good soul by its own virtue makes the body as good as it can be” (Plato 82). In the first stage of training young people in are trained together, but then begins differentiated instruction according to the class division of society. Plato believed that women and girls could comprehend music and gymnastics and art on a par with boys, so they might participate in the defense of the city from the enemy along with the young men (Plato 130). At the next level of education and training there is a strict selection of youth. Students who have demonstrated special knowledge and virtue move to the first cycle of higher education, where training lasts from 19 to 30 years. At this stage of education students are taught mathematics. Mathematical disciplines develop harmony of logical thinking. This path leads to the study of dialectics, which gives higher better understanding of divine ideas. At the second stage of higher education the gifted young men study philosophy.
Young men who want to get philosophical education will seek wisdom in all its scope, not the individual parts, they would be happy to take all the science, and at a young age will feel attracted to the truth. And the more they pay attention to science, the more will they enjoy true peace of happiness, distracting and refraining from sensual pleasures, since, giving up worldly goods, they do not have to spend money. Due to their elevated way of thinking and contemplation of the eternal essence of things they will not find life on earth scary and they are not characterized by such vices as cowardice, greed, and injustice. Philosophy leads to the ultimate goal - the comprehension of truth, and from the true knowledge the person receives a genuine pleasure. Plato sees the means to become a moral person in the study of the philosophy. A person can reach the heights of education and training in philosophy and join the world of ideas. The soul of man, following his philosophical principle, will not be subjected to confusion.
Plato highly valued art as a means of moral education, which has an emotional impact on the younger generation and all levels of society. For Plato, beauty is the string through which all good penetrates deep into the soul. The soul of each person becomes beautiful which constitutes desire to serve the good of the state. The formation of personality depends on what moral values does art proclaim: “He would blame and hate the ugly in the right way while he’s still young” (Plato 80). According to Plato, art forms should strengthen in young men and women such moral qualities as courage, fortitude, sense of proportion, discipline, obedience to elders and gods. For this reason, the rulers of the polis should pay full attention to the lyrics, poetry, music and dance. Art, poetry, myth-making must be subordinated to the tasks of civic education. Subordination to the equitable order of the social system is the highest form of virtue. Hence there is a need to show only the moral gods, making their deeds and actions worthy of imitation. Plato insisted that strictest censorship should be applied to the creators of myths: “On that account such tales must cease, for fear that they saw a strong proclivity for badness in our young” (Plato 70). Moral education is closely intertwined with the religious. The philosopher comes to the conclusion that society needs moral gods. And from early childhood nurse must teach children high moral tales, myths, in which the gods beautiful and willing to bring good, to the people. In no case children should know that gods have flaws, make lewd acts, are grumpy by nature, avenge the insult. Speaking of the epics of Homer, Plato criticizes him for making the god mortal (Plato 68) Plato’s God is eternal and morally perfect. God brings only good people and cannot commit indecent acts and be the object of cursing, jokes, and laughter. In such way Plato wanted to create solid morality through education, legitimizing it by the divine will.
At this point Plato’s cave allegory needs to be mentioned. Although Plato’s construction of an ideal state seems to be solid, he needed to explain in what way do philosophers have right to guide the whole polis, while other people, especially laborers, fulfill their duties. Plato describes the people who live in the cave with the entrance directed to the light that illuminates the entire length of one wall of the entrance. The inhabitants of the cave are chained on the legs and arms, and being motionless, they turn their gaze deep into the cave. At the entrance to the cave is the shaft of the stones of a person’s height, and on the other side of which move people carrying on their shoulders the statues of stone and wood. Behind these people there is a huge bonfire, and even higher - the shining sun. Outside the cave people say something and their voices echoing in the belly of the cave. The cave prisoners are unable to see anything but the shadows cast on the walls by the statuettes, they hear an echo of someone else's voice. However, they believe that these shadows are the only reality. One of the prisoners decided to throw off the shackles, and after a fair effort, he mastered with a new vision of things, seeing the statues he would have realized that they are real, and not the shadow, he had seen before. And after the first minute of glare from the sun and fire the prisoner would see things as such, realizing what true reality is. He would have realized that it is sun that is the true cause of all visible things (Plato 194-196). Plato asserts, that people at their birth are predisposed to leave the cave, but sometimes it is difficult to do so. The purpose of the philosophers is to help people see the sunlight instead of taking the shadows for granted. “This power is in the soul of each, and the instrument with which each learns – just as an eye is not able to turn toward the light from the dark without the whole body - must be turned around from that which is coming into being together with the whole soul until it is able to endure looking at that which is and the highest part of that which is” (Plato 197) In terms of the Divided Line and the Ship of State Plato attributes his allegory far deeper meaning. The Divided Line in a cave is shown in representation of the ontological gradation of the being, awareness of the types of reality - sensual and divine - and their subspecies: the shadows on the walls are a simple appearance of things, the statue - the things perceived by the senses, the stone wall – a separation of two kinds of being, the objects and people outside the cave is the true being, leading to ideas, and the sun as an idea of the good. The allegory become more clear if to emphasize on Plato’s definition of the Divided Line: “The one is king of the intelligible class and region, while the other is king of visible”. It means that the world of ideas and the material world co-exist and a person needs to leave the cave of material world to understand the true meaning on the things around. Plato divides the human knowledge into four categories: imagination, real-world knowledge, scientific knowledge and wisdom (understanding transcendental things). The system of education in Plato’s ideal polis is built on this gradation. Starting from the point of imagination, the students get real-world knowledge during the music and gymnastics education. After that students learn science and achieve logical knowledge. The final stage of education turns out to be cognition of transcendent things, when students become true philosophers able to see the divine nature of all things. Plato considers the ability of a human mind to see the true being of an object as the highest level of intellectual development. In the context of the Ship of State Plato gives his allegory political meaning. Education, which comprises both soul and body education, is the key element of understanding the concept of good to people’s souls. The true role of a philosopher is to go down the cave and bring the light of understanding to those people. This is how the ruling class of philosophers can contribute to the good of the whole polis.
CONCLUSION
The system of education in Plato’s “Republic” is incorporated in his moral-value view of the state. Plato sees fairness as the highest virtue of the state, characterized by each member fulfilling his social role. The government of philosophers in the best possible way to ensure high level of morality among the citizens. Education is a long process aimed at upbringing a true philosopher, able to see the true nature of things. The cave allegory exemplified both Plato’s philosophical concepts (the Divided Line and the Ship of State) and pointed at the necessity of wise people managing the polis. The cave allegory visualized Plato’s philosophical concepts on the development of a human mind – from imagining things to cognition of the transcendental being. Therefore, the system of education should be built on the principles of human mind’s development to the point when a person becomes a citizen able to understand the true nature of polis.
Works Cited
Plato. The Republic. Trans. Allan Bloom. 2nd ed., Harper Collins Publishers, 1969. Print.
