A critical review of the theory of education in Plato's Republic

Abstract

Plato, in a sense, outlines two systems of education. He first states and, with a few minor changes, accepts the traditional education of the Greek people. Later he outlines an original system of his own which is to follow and supplement the traditional education. The primary end, which his educational system as a whole seeks to serve, is the welfare of the state; that is, the moral well-being and harmonious working together of its citizens; but for the highest education, the end appears to be the selection and training of true philosophers - men who will seek "truth for its own sake" and serve the state purely from the sense of duty.