Platos Perspectives - Essay Example

Essay Philosophy Plato’s Perspectives on what Education should achieve above any other thing Plato is one of the ancient greatest philosophers in Greece, who besides philosophy, did mathematics and science. Plato was Socrates’ student; Socrates just like Plato was also a prominent philosopher during those early times and influenced most of the philosophical work of Plato. Plato cut himself a niche as a writer of philosophy dialogues and contributed significantly in the foundational development of the western philosophy. It is in this light that he made several philosophical contributions in the field of education in reference to what education is able to impact on the individuals. Plato viewed the role of education differently as compared with other philosopher who contributed on what education can give that distinguishes it distinctly from other experiences that can be acquired. Plato had a strong belief that education was peculiar in that it was able to prepare learners adequately for future life. This proposal by Plato has faced several rebellions by other philosophers such as Dewey and Rousseau who are considered the modern philosophers on education. Even though the modern philosophers have been opposed to the contribution of Plato, his arguments are still considered to be in context in the 21st century. Plato asserted that education has several concepts engraved in it that is essential in making an individual cope with the future given that the future is uncertain. Plato considered concepts such as reason, goodness, virtue, dialectics, ideas, sense of perception, metaphysics, motivation, art as considered to be a medium of instruction, and truth to be the guiding principles that one acquire through education and are of significant help in the future (Watts, 67). The fact that education according to Plato helps in preparing one for the future, Plato in this understanding came up with a philosophical statement that relates education, society and the individuals. In this case, Plato proposed that whereas the society is comprise of classes, the individuals in the society are comprises of faculties that are hinged on the kind of training they acquire through education. According to Plato, education is able to impact one or more of the above-mentioned concepts on the societal individuals and this reaches a critical level that they make the person fall in three of the following classes; rulers or the guardians, the warriors, and the workers and artisans (Watts, 77). He then related these classes to the three faculties that he proposed are in the society; the ruling class corresponded to the intellect faculty, the warriors occupy the faculty of feeling while the workers and the artisan are all camped in the faculty of desires and appetites. Nietzsche perspectives on Education Nietzsche on the other hand was a philosopher from German and was proficient in poetry, philology, composing, and analyzing culture through critique. Nietzsche in this regard wrote several materials that related to morality, contemporary culture, philosophy, religion and science. He also contributed on education and this is where we draw his perspectives on what his views were in relation to the achievement of education to an individual. Nietzsche just like Plato had a different view considering what education can achieve and in his opinion, he proposed the following. Nietzsche put it forth that education can achieve to make it possible to know the basic and original material of ones being. He said that through education one is able to realize the potentials that otherwise will remain completely unnoticed, through his literature on education Nietzsche asserted that without education, one is unable to know their worth and can be mistaken not to be worthy. He continued and said that education is a liberator in this context; it liberates one from ignorance, the ability to avoid vagueness, and irrationality. Through education explained Nietzsche, one is able to avoid equivocation of issues and will remain pragmatic to all everything that they do and engage in. Nietzsche had a strong belief in education, as a liberator above everything else that he was certain that with education, there can be no false noses, eyeglasses, and artificial limbs (Watts, 91). On further elaboration on the achievement of education, Nietzsche said that education could be used as a conduit through which ones strengths can be identified. He said that this is possible if in the initial stages the strengths are nurtured by enabling one to direct all their skills on the strength so that education can be his liberator. He said that to obtain real fruitfulness and maturity in this case, one has to nourish the strength and sunshine it so that the goals can be realized. In the achievement of the liberation through education, Nietzsche posed that one has to satisfy some tasks; the task of learning to see, think, and speak and write. He said these are the most important recipes that one should gather if he wants to realize the liberation that comes with education. This philosopher said that liberation that is brought by education is in terms of how one thinks, reason, relates with others and most importantly, how one perceive issues through drawing relevant logics and rationales. The difference in perspective between philosophical contexts of his consideration about education can be construed given Plato’s position on the same. Watt Perspective The achievement of education was also contributed by one of the philosophers from Britain known as Allan Watt. Besides the philosophical part of Watt, he also specialized in speaking, writing and interpretation. Allan also had a different perspective on what education can achieve to an individual and proposed the following; he proposed that with education make it possible for individuals to differentiate truth from fallacious statement. He said the most people fall in the trap of not being able to differentiate between fallacies and the truth because they are not capable of making inferences or sound deductions from statement, this is the inability to collects the facts from a statement and then use to it identify, facts and logics from fallacy. Through education said Watt, the individuals get to be trained on the various ways of testing facts from fallacies that ultimately, they became those who can make sound conclusions and arrive into the most meaningful and valid understanding. Watt said that there are a number of fallacies that ordinary minds are not able to construe and that it needs rigorous educational training for one to be fully endowed with this ability. For instance, when he considered the fallacy of equivocal, in this fallacy, a single statement can be considered to have two meanings and without much care, one can be confused to accept the other meaning that is not in context. Fallacy of equivocation in this case is not due to grammar error but is apportioned to the lexical error in the statement that makes it to equivocate a statement and can be considered in two perspectives (Watts, 109). Watt then argues that this kind of equivocation can only be understood in context through education training of which without, one is bound to make mistakes all the times. Watt said that with the education in place, all the various types of fallacies that are used do deceive in statement will be understood and this enhances the cogency, clarity and validity of argument, reasoning and making conclusions. This he said would promote the concept of moral argument, an argument in which the premise and the conclusion both stands to unequivocally refer to a single issue. Through education, one develops various techniques used in testing the truth and fallacies; this will enable him to stand out as the most reasonable person in terms of logicality and factual consideration that are consistent with the truth (Watts, 113). My Perspective In my view, I consider education to achieve in building a holistic person who can be relevant in all spheres of life. Before giving much of what I believe education should achieve, it is important that I first give an account of what I think education is; in this sense, it should be realized that broadly education could be subdivided into two broad areas, arts and science. The science part of education is rather static because it is based on rigid fact that cannot be changed unlike political science, philosophy and sociology that are considered arts and are very flexible. It is then important that we determine that balance that makes us consider education as a unitary system irrelevant of whether science or arts. This is what according to me will inform on the achievements that we get through education-something that is above the normal academic benefits that comes with education. I consider education to be a tool that enables us to be more rational that before; through education, certain degree of rationality is instilled in one and one is able to cogently consider issues that if one is not educated. I also consider education capable of making achievement in making us be problem solvers that before, in some cases we are faced with several problems that we find ourselves confused, with education you will have the ability to disintegrate the problem into smaller areas and start solving then sequentially. Education thus makes one to be a good problem solver instead of being overwhelmed with problems; education provides a window through which one can come out of the situation. Education also enables one to be tolerant and accommodative to others, it removes the issues of isolation based on cultural background, through education one is able to consider everybody equal, capable, and as those whom together, as pacific goal can be achieved. Without education one will be incapable of having a fair observation of the world and to be appreciative of the diversity experienced, education make the diversity be seen as a strength and not as a point to draw distinction and variation. It is through this that I consider education to be a holistic preparation of individuals to fit in every society, this is because they will only be concerned with those that things that binds them together. Through this, they are able to forms a basis through which their association and relation can be utilized productively. This important way of consideration always, cease when one lacks the basics of education. In this relation, education should be appreciated following its ability to be shape and mold individuals who are able to cope in different places and situation by using relating only on those that they have in common while at the same time not pulled by their difference. Work Cited Watts, Alan. The book; on the taboo against knowing who you are. New York: Pantheon Books, 1966. Print. Read More