Plato's Ideas (reflection 13)

Plato’s impact on modern western education is evident in many areas. One particular area stems from the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” Plato established this idea when he believed that children should be raised by the society instead of just their parents. This is a statement that a lot of people would find that they agree with. I remember stories that my mom used to tell me about living in Jamaica. The parish or the county that you lived in, everyone knew everyone. So if you did something wrong, you were not just getting a whipping from your own parents, but everyone else’s too. And vice versa; If a child was caught doing something wrong, your mom would scold him and then he would go home and his own mother scold him as well. Another one of Plato’s impact on modern education comes from the idea that having the right people in charge whether it is a king, president, or principal, will bring out the highest capabilities in human social aspects. I can agree with this because I went to a school (that shall remain unnamed) that had at least four principals while I was there(a high school); and with different principals, the school’s academic levels and overall performance fluctuated often. When the principals were involved the performance level was high and the other way around when the principal was hardly around. Plato’s theory of idealism is considered the basis of public education. Plato taught there is truth in all things and it is up to the pupil to discover that truth. Plato also taught that there are universal truths; what can also be known as general knowledge in modern society. A universal truth that he believed was that 2+2=4 in mathematics and therefore believed that there were universal truths in other subjects such as politics and religion. Plato’s ideas of forms help to provide examples of objects. In his allegory of the cave Plato demonstrated his belief that people are born ignorant and surrounded by shadows and illusions. He also felt that those who did find the truth and who were enlightened had a duty to fulfill by enlightening the others in their society. Plato also impacted the modern education because he believed that both boys and girls should have the opportunity to fully develop their minds to the highest capacity. The belief that boys and girls should have the same opportunity is not shared by everyone in all places. Especially at the time when girls were thought to be caretakers for the home and usually learned how to maintain a home opposed to learning subjects as did male children. Plato’s ideas will definitely continue to impact the modern western education.

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