Ancient Greek education system, Socratic method, optimal education system, Platonic method, Stoicism, character building
Purpose: The overriding prominence of any education system invigorates learners to become more independent, curious, open-minded, and think freely. Over the centuries education philosophy has evolved throughout the world. Various concepts, models and ideologies have been developed and tested. These educational principles have shaped educators, education, society and more importantly teaching and learning methods. The current study is to illustrate the optimal education system, drawing from the philosophies of ancient Greeks. The study addresses the research question: How can ancient Greek philosophies be utilised to create the best education system in modern world?
Methodology: The research was conducted using systematic literature reviews. The sources that are published in English are identified using scholarly academic journals. By comprehending the historical value of some old literature, this research also makes use of it.
Findings: The optimal education system would nurture an individual's passion for learning and emphasise the significance of individual moral development and wellbeing of the community. Ancient Greeks viewed philosophy as a means to better the individual and the community. Additionally, the ideal education system would highlight the significance of character formation and ethics. Some of the principles of Ancient Greek philosophy underpins one of the best educational systems in the world in relation to character building and create a better and fair society. An example of this is the Socratic Method. The Socratic Method is a method of instruction based on asking questions.
Conclusion: The ancient Greeks believed that education should be based on philosophical principles and the purpose of education to help children become good people. The findings conclude that the current education system could incorporate some of the core values from ancient Greek education philosophy to better fulfil its purpose to provide improved moral education to the learners.
Study originality: The study contributes to the body of knowledge by incorporating some of the key principles of Greek Education system especially, the Socratic Method and character education into modern education practices. This approach offers a road map for moral development of learners and the wellbeing of the community. The originality of this study lies in this approach which provides a unique perspective for assessing and restructuring current educational system.
Full Text : PDF
- Annas J. (2007). Ethics in Stoic Philosophy. Phronesis, 52(1), 58-87. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4182824 (date of access: 24th March 2024)
- Annas J. (2016). Is Stoic Virtue as Off-Putting as it Seems? Retrieved from:
- https://modernstoicism.com/is-stoic-virtue-as-off-putting-as-it-seems-by-julia-annas/ (date of access: 3rd February n2024)
- Brickhouse, Thomas C., and Nicholas D. Smith. (2000) The Philosophy of Socrates. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press
- Delić, Haris, and Senad Bećirović (2016)."Socratic method as an approach to teaching " European Researcher. Series A 10 (2016): 511-517.
- Debbie Watkins, William Allan Kritsonis (2008) Aristotle, Philosophy, and the Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning: A National Study on Integrating a Postmodernist Approach to Education and Student Academic Achievement. National Forum of Applied Educational Research Journal Volume 21, Number 3, 2008
- Downey, (1957). Ancient Education, The Classical Journal, 52, no.8, p. 339
- Ed. Sienkewicz, (2007). Education and Training, Ancient Greece, New Jersey: Salem Press, Inc.p.23
- Donald Zeyl (2023), What is Ancient Philosophy? What is Ancient Philosophy? | Reviews | Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews | University of Notre Dame (nd.edu)
- Fahim, M and Banheri, M.B. (2012). “Fostering Critical Thinking through Socratic Questioning.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3 (6): 1122-1127
- Gita Leitlande (2021), Applicability of Stoic Philosophy to Character Education, Rural Environment. Education. Personality. Vol.14. Issn 2661-5207
- Habib Elahi Sahibzada, Shakirullah and Sadaf Naz (2015), Education in the Ancient Greek Civilization—Lessons from the Past, Ancient Pakistan, Vol. XXVI (2015)
- Hadot, Pierre (2002), What is Ancient Philosophy? translated by Michael Chase, Harvard University Press
- Irina Gvelesiani (2013). Ancient and contemporary educational systems (significance of past in the formation of future. European Scientific Journal, Vol. 4
- Kristjánsson K. (2013). Ten Myths About Character, Virtue and Virtue Education – Plus Three Well-Founded Misgivings. British Journal of Educational Studies, 61(3), 269-287.
- doi: 10.1080/00071005.2013.778386
- Lam, Faith. (1999). "The Socratic method as an approach to learning and its benefits."
- Lodge, R.C. (2000), first published in 1947. Plato's Theory of Education. Edited by T. I. L. o. Philosophy. Vol. Vol VIII, Ancient Philosophy. London: Routledge.
- Mavrogenes, (1980). Reading in Ancient Greece, Journal of Reading, 23, no.8, p. 693
- More, Thomas (1965), The Complete Works of St. Thomas More, vol. 4, Utopia, ed. S.J., E. Surtz, and Hexter, J. H. (New Haven and London: Yale University Press,
- More, T. (2007). Utopia. Tark Classic Fiction
- Madonna Murphy (2015), Plato’s Philosophy of Education and the Common Core debate, Association for the Development of Philosophy Teaching (ADOPT) Spring Conference, Chicago, IL. De Paul University
- Norillah binti Abdullah, Rabiu Garba Idris, Norul Hidayah binti Mamat Muhammad and Jamilah Amin Niazi (2022), Socratic Questioning: A Philosophical Approach in Developing Critical Thinking Skills. Al-Hikmah international Journal of Islamic studies and human sciences, special issue
- Ober, Josiah (2001). The Debate over Civic Education in Classical Athens. in Education in Greek and Roman Antiquity. Leiden, Neterlands: Koninklijke Brill. p. 179
- Paul, R. and Elder, L. (2007) "Critical thinking: The art of Socratic questioning." Journal of developmental education 31, 1 (36).
- Pierre Hadot. What is Ancient Philosophy? Trans. Michael Chase. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.
- Plutarch, (1960). The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Leedsives'tau gutdon: Penguin Classics, p.44
- Romaneck G.M. (2007). Reading the stoic Epictetus: a manual for leading. International Journal
- of Leadership and Education, 10(2), 227-232. doi: 10.1080/13603120601097454
- Sedley, David. Main features. Ancient philosophy, 1998, doi:10.4324/9780415249126-A130-1. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Taylor and Francis, https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/overview/ancient-philosophy/v-1/sections/main-features.
- Sutton, J. (2020). Socratic Questioning in Psychology: Examples and Techniques. Acessed July 29, 2022. Retrieved at: https: ://positivepsychology.com/socratic-questioning/.
- “Socratic Method Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster. MerriamWebster. Accessed February 23, 2022. Retrieved at: https://www.merriam webster.com/dictionary/Socratic%20method.
- Suhardiana, I. Putu Andre (2019). "Socratic Questioning to Promote Efl Students’ Critical Thinking in A Language Learning." Yavana Bhasha: Journal Of English Language Education 2 (1): 83-102.
- Tetiana Danylova; Ihor Hoian (2020). Medieval and Renaissance Philosophers on Education, Path of Science. Vol. 6, No 10, DOI: 10.22178/pos.63-8
- Whiting K., Konstantakos L., Misiaszek G.W., Simpson E., Carmona L.G. (2018). Education for the Sustainable Global Citizen: What Can We Learn from Stoic Philosophy and Freirean
- Environmental Pedagogies? Education Sciences, 8(4), 204. doi: 10.3390/educsci8040204