Introduction
Ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Petrarch were fundamental in shaping the theory and practice of education in the world. Their ideas are still evident in the views of those who are in charge of the education system. To begin with, Plato believed that acquisition of knowledge was the way to being virtuous in life but he tended to differ with philosophers like Aristotle stating that education to be acquired from the natural world was limited and could change from time to time.
The ideas of Plato with regard to education mainly focused on the overall purpose of education which he said should be geared towards the good. That person should not only focus on the benefits and pleasures of being educated by they should be familiar with the form of the good that results from education.
Main body
Plato was significant in pointing out some aspects and trends in leadership. He noted degeneration in leadership due to what he believed to be a lack of separation between self-interest and political power. Plato believed the values of democracy had been misused by the leaders because they have taken the interests of the masses for granted. Those leaders are in their positions just to satisfy their selfish needs. He asserted that political power is enticing and has attracted people who do not have the good leadership qualities
He was also not in agreement with sophistic views with regard to the attainment of human happiness. He argued that the sophistic doctrines’ irrationality should not be allowed to overtake reason. Aristotle argued that man alone lives by and is guided by reason throughout. That is why each individual is born unique with important characteristics like reason and rationality that make him different from the beasts.
Plato spoke against the sophist’s prominence that attainment of worldly success is the only way to happiness. He believed that the route to happiness in life is by the man taking morality to be his first priority so as to achieve happiness. He believed that making knowledge subjective and making the truth relative negatively impacts morality because they undermine it. To him, morality should have a base that is objective and must be conjoined with self-interest because it leads to the betterment of an individual and not a group.
According to him an average man who does not understand why rules concerning morality should be followed under any situation is likely to be guided by self-interest. Aristotle believed that education should aim at self-actualization in man. That happiness is the most significant thing everybody who seeks education aims at realizing as a good. For Aristotle, a happy must has to be virtuous and virtue does not come up as a result of the natural phenomenon but it is through education that a person will acquire virtues.
According to Aristotle true knowledge is brought about by the use of senses. For instance, he said that senses “give the most authoritative knowledge of particulars”(Aristotle) On the other hand Plato held the opinion that inherent knowledge of separate materials existing on their own can be said to be true because intrinsic knowledge does not require interaction with the external environment so as to find meaning.
“Any one forms the true opinion of anything without rational explanation, you may say that his mind is truly exercised, but has no knowledge.”(Republic 454)
In his theories, he comes up with two important aspects of education. There is education through reason and education through habit. Through habit, he means that education is not acquired through mere repetition kind of training. This is also relevant as far as moral education is concerned.
He highlights that “for the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them, e.g. men become builders by building and lyre-players by playing the lyre”.(Republic 454)
He claims that learning in human beings can only be achieved through induction and demonstration processes, whereby induction is formed on the basis of universal principles while the demonstration is based on the principle of a common phenomenon or case.
Aristotle’s learning is pedagogic in the sense that it comes from pre-existing knowledge.
That his teaching starts from understanding the examples for one to know the causes thus it is scientific. His theory on education still holds its relevance today because they still occupy a special and significant place in philosophy. AS it can be noted his ideas are still very common with those people who are in charge of education today. Petrarch was significant in asserting the importance of studying rhetoric and the notion of language as an important tool for informing both the individual and society. He put much emphasis on human virtue than on luck. He was significant in using theology to examine and try to find an explanation for the conflict between Plutonic and Aristotelian thoughts.
In some of his writings like on his own ignorance, he attacks those who champion Aristotle’s ideas concerning logic. He says “These friends of ours, I have already said, are s captivated by their love of the mere name that they call it a sacrilege to pronounce any opinion that differs from his on any matter” (Francesco Petrarch 6 1994)
In conclusion, it is important to note that all three ancient philosophers focused on knowledge acquisition and the very ends of education. They are therefore very significant in influencing education theories and practice because most of their views have been utilized by those who are in charge of education.
References
Francesco Petrarch, Secretum, trans. William H. Draper (reprint, Westport: Hyperion Press, 1994) 6. Web.