EDF 1005 Reflection Paper #13

Jackie Lawrence
EDF 1005
Reflection Paper #13

Plato, a student and follower of the philosopher Socrates, believed that the world is only meaningful because of the ideas, or forms, created in our minds. According to him, the soul and the body are separate beings, and the needs of the body impede on the expansion of the soul. All people are born ignorant once they receive a human body, but have the ability to become enlightened if they so choose. “This is the doctrine of recollection, Plato’s conviction that our most basic knowledge comes when we bring back to mind our acquaintance with eternal realities during a previous existence of the soul.” To me, this belief parallels our education system enormously. There have been innumerable times I have been sitting in a classroom and experienced déjà vu, simply because I’ve heard the same information before and actually retained it. To Plato, those fortunate few who have discovered the truth have a duty to educate others. Because of this outlook, Plato founded a school called the Academy in the fourth century, in which his students attempted to discover reality through concentration on metaphysics and epistemology Ordinary objects of this world are changeable and unreliable, only through an understanding of the Platonic Forms can we achieve enlightenment. Furthermore, Plato was also responsible for the development of idealism, which has also had a pretty enormous impact on modern western education. Platonic idealism holds that truth is eternal and perfect, and should be sought out using critical thinking skills. His writings formed a basis of true philosophical thought by examining various issues from alternative perspectives, a process known today as dialectic, still common in classrooms today. Another example of Plato’s teachings is that through utilization of the elenchus, people should question their beliefs, achieve clarity through open-mindedness, and progress towards the Good. In essence, true virtue could be taught through utilizing appropriate educational methods. Isn’t this the basic conception of how children should become knowledgeable today?