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Plato Education

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Plato Education
Plato is known as one of the earliest thinkers on education. He believed that the key to a successful society is a strong educational system. The purpose of education according to Plato, is to produce good citizens for the benefit of 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 judgement 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. I would consider this form of education "political medicine" because it gives mystic powers to its possesors. Plato places great emphasis on education of Guardians because of their natural tendency to lord over citizens. He belived that through an educational system, they would become noble puppies, fierce to their enemies and gentle with familiars. Guardians would also be able to think rationally and use reason in desicion making. I strongly believe that education has an immense impact on human society. One can safely assume that a person is not in proper sense until he is educated. It trains the human mind to think and make the right desicions. In other words, a man only becomes rational when he is educated. It is through education that knowledge and information is received and spread throughout the world. An uneducated person cannot read and write and hence he is closed to all the knowledge and wisdom he can gain through books and other sources. In other words, he is shut off from the outside world. In contrast, an educated man lives in a room with all its windows open towards outside world. Education is the key to establishing a society with a strong framework. The importance of education cannot be neglected by any nation. And in today's world, the role of education has become even more vital. It is an absolute necessity for economic and social development of any nation.

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