1. Western University Lecturer: SoeungSopha
Foundation of Education
Prepared by: PrakChanmolika
Year 4 Semester 1 Page 1
Plato on education
Plato he was born on 427 BC in Athens, Greece and he died on 347 BC, Athens, Greece. His
nationality is Greece. His main interests are rhetoric, art, literature, epistemology, justice,
virtue, politics, education, family, and militarism. Plato was a philosopher in classical Greece.
He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and
founder of the academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world.
Plato is known as one of the earliest thinkers on education. He founded what is said to be the
first university his academy (near Athens) in around 385 BC. Plato’s early works (dialogues)
provide much of what we know of Socrates (470-399BC).
The purpose of education according to Plato, is to produce good citizens for the benefitof
society and to improve the moral quality of each citizen. With proper training focusing on
literature, music, and mathematics a person would become well aware of what is morally
acceptable and what has the potential to ruin society. Plato wanted all citizens to use good
judgment and think philosophically, and only in this fashion, he believed, a strong framework
would be formed. However, Plato’s philosophical education has a definite political function.
It puts a mark on the rulers, and it establishes a barrier between the rulers and the ruled.
Wisdom is acquired largely for the sake of establishing a permanent political class rule. He
believed that the key to a successful society is a strong educational system. He asserted that
true knowledge is intellectual, changeless and eternal, rather than relative and sensory and
that education should be universal and unchanging. Plato believed that women possessed the
sameintellectual abilities just like men; therefore they should receive the same privileges and
Name: PrakChanmolika
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2. Western University Lecturer: SoeungSopha
Foundation of Education
Prepared by: PrakChanmolika
Year 4 Semester 1 Page 2
responsibilities as men. In his curriculum, children were separated from their parents and live
in state nurseries where they learned positive moral values because he wanted to keep the
existing social class structure unchanged by not allowing prejudices and ignorance pass on
from parents to children.
Nowadays Plato’s education influences education because some of the countries on the
world choose his system to use in their country to develop their education. In my opinion, for
examples such as United States I saw this country choose Plato’s education. In U.S attended
school to study music and gymnastic. Music includes reading, writing, literature, singing,
dancing, geometry, arithmetic, and astronomy. All this points come from Plato’s education.
Plato education it apply in Cambodia because before education system of Cambodia for the
women not allowed to study because they have to look after their house, cook food for their
family, and do housework. For the men they can go to school, but now men and women are
equal women can go to school and get knowledge as the men, women can do everything as
the men do.
In my conclusion, I think that Plato philosopher his idea on education is very important
to get or for us to research and study to improve our life to get successful.