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2 - Plato on Democratic Education

from Part One - Historical Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2023

By
Mark E. Jonas
Edited by
Julian Culp ,
Johannes Drerup  and
Douglas Yacek
Julian Culp
Affiliation:
The American University of Paris, France
Johannes Drerup
Affiliation:
Universität Dortmund
Douglas Yacek
Affiliation:
Universität Dortmund
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Summary

In this chapter, I turn to an unlikely source for democratic inspiration: Plato’s Republic. I argue that, understood correctly, Plato’s Republic provides insights into what a flourishing democracy looks like and how education can help produce such a democracy. While Plato does not provide an explicit defense of democracy, his criticism of corrupt democracies in Book VIII and his often-ignored advocacy of egalitarian communities in Books II, III, and IV offer contemporary educators insights into a mode of education that could strengthen contemporary democracies. Once this interpretation is in place, I will discuss the ways contemporary democratic educators might use Plato’s ideas to support students in their development as democratic citizens.

Keywords

PlatoRepublicdemocracydemocratic educationegalitarianismdemocratic virtues
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Democratic Education , pp. 13 - 28
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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