Plato’s Significance for Moral Education

doi:10.1017/9781009170291.003

Chapter 2 - Plato’s Significance for Moral Education

from Part I - Historical Insights for Contemporary Moral Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2023

Edited by

Mark E. Jonas and

Douglas W. Yacek: Affiliation:
Universität Dortmund
Mark E. Jonas: Affiliation:
Wheaton College, Illinois
Kevin H. Gary: Affiliation:
Valparaiso University, Indiana

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Summary

In this chapter, I offer some of the reasons to think that Plato has a substantial contribution to make to contemporary thinking about moral education. To allow a sense of how wide the range of reasons is, I start by listing ten miscellaneous reasons that one can compellingly offer, some of which scholars have offered. Then I present my preferred reason, which involves a way of approaching Plato that is new and unorthodox. When you approach Plato this way, you don’t try to interpret him correctly. Instead, you use his writings simply as a tool for theorizing, and what you theorize about is how best to carry out the Socratic project of leading other people to self-examination.

Keywords

moral education Plato protreptic self-examination intrinsic motivation Crito democracy virtue

Type: Chapter
Information: Moral Education in the 21st Century , pp. 9 - 24

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009170291.003 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2023

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Chapter 2 - Plato’s Significance for Moral Education

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