The Type Of Education Should Be Taught In This Ideal City

Book three addresses the type of education that should be taught in this ideal city, and the discussion moves from what it means to be just, to what it means to be courageous and moderate. Socrates ideas on the type of education that should be taught were unconventional for this time in Greek history. For instance, Socrates argued that certain pieces of literature ought to be censored if they promote weakness or disobedience. Correspondingly Socrates places a large emphasis on the role education plays in terms of contributing to the vitality of the city. Socrates contends that in order to have a just city, the city must develop just citizens, and the only way that is possible is through proper education of both the mind and the body.

Specifically

Tales must be strictly censored because young children are malleable and absorb a great amount of material they are exposed to. For example Socrates recommends that certain stories of Achilles be banned because they condone unfavorable traits, including disobedience to authority and a fear of death. Socrates also condemns several great poets, Hesiod and Homer, for creating inappropriate tales about the gods. Socrates says that the gods must never be shown as unjust for fear that children will think it acceptable and honorable to do injustice. By making the gods seem unable to commit any type of dishonest deed and only associating them with just things, Socrates distances them from the real world where people lie and deceive one another on a regular basis. Separating the gods from the reality of the real world prevents stories of the gods from being used as a model for human behavior. Instead, children must look solely to human guardians and the law for moral guidance. Correspondingly, good stories must also foster courage, moderation, and justice. Socrates also wants people to hear stories that glorify death, in hopes that the warriors defending the city will not fear death; in fact Socrates rather people fear slavery more than death. Interestingly, although Socrates includes the virtues (courage, moderation, and justice) among

Beginning with the fact that the people receiving the education (the guardians) are tasked with ensuring the safety therefor the vitality of the city. Socrates explains that this is one of the more crucial aspects to establishing this utopian style city. And for the guardians to be successful at what they must do, they must be selfless, fearless, and obedient individuals who put the success and the security of the city above their own personal needs. Socrates suggests that in order for these guardians to do exactly that and to ensure that they themselves do not eventually terrorize the citizens; they must be taught at a young age the virtues of courage, moderation, and justice. For this reason I see the merit in Socrates interpretation of education, simply because it is for the purpose of creating an elite class of individuals tasked with protecting the livelihood of the city. However, I disagree with the morality of this because; in essence the guardians are slaves to the city. Which at that point in history was not an outlandish concept, however, in modern times I believe education should be used as a tool of enlightenment not