Hart, Michael Richard (2012) Platonic education : teaching virtue in a constantly changing moral culture. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

In this thesis I shall argue (1) that for Plato ‘moral’ education, rightly
understood (or ‘Platonic education’ as I shall call it), can be an
effective method for cultivating virtue in non-ideal societies; (2) that
Platonic education is a process that occurs (or Plato hopes might
occur) through an engagement with some of the dialogues; (3) that
Platonic education strongly mirrors Sokratic discourse in its aims; (4)
that Plato’s whole approach to education should be understood
mainly from the context of the problem of teaching virtue in imperfect
societies; (5) that Plato intends some of the dialogues to serve as a
propaedeutic for a possible education in virtue and not as a method for
creating fully virtuous people. Lastly, (6) Platonic education is
primarily concerned with human virtue, and insofar as it can support
a notion or notions of civic virtue, it cannot do so unequivocally. The
evidence for these claims is found not chiefly in the educational
programmes and theories of the Republic and the Laws but in a
number of techniques, such as protreptic rhetoric, life-models,
argumentation, and myth, which Plato employs in some of the
dialogues. Platonic education is specifically designed to function in
imperfect societies. With this in mind therefore, an additional concern
of this thesis is with whether we could imagine any of Plato’s
educational principles or techniques being used to improve moral
education today.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Plato -- Criticism and interpretation, Moral education
Official Date:	September 2012
Dates:	Date Event September 2012 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Philosophy
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Hobbs, Angela (Angela H.)
Extent:	v, 383 leaves
Language:	eng
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/50299

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