Running head: Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum 1

Platos Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum

Taylor Myers

Salt Lake Community College

Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum 2

Ancient Greece is often known for its wealth of knowledge and rich history of the

pursuit of wisdom and truth. Countless great philosophers have either come from Greece or

been influenced by others that come from Greece. Athens, being the capital of Greece, acts as

a meeting place for some of the world's best minds. Two of the world's best known

philosophers come from Athens. Plato and Aristotle. Each of their philosophical ideas have

shaped our world as we know it today in more ways than one. One such way is the shaping of

the modern education system influenced by the institutions they created. These institutions

are Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum.

Aristocles, better known by his nickname, Plato, was considered a genius in nearly

every sense. He was a diligent student of Socrates. Due to Socrates unpopular political

views and religious ideals of monotheistic Godhead, he was arrested and executed. Because

of Plato's close connection with Socrates he was forced to leave Athens. Years later, he

requested to return under the condition that he wouldnt be involved in politics as he mentor

was. He then created the Academy as a means to spread his knowledge and philosophical

ideals. While he did not contribute to politics directly, it is believed that his ability to educate

people was , by extension, influencing the political structure.

Aristotle moved from Stagira to Athens in order to attend Platos Academy. He soon

became Platos best student and eventually became the assistant philosophy professor. Upon

Platos death he applied to become the new head philosopher but was declined because of his

lack of an aristocratic heritage. He instead became a travelling teacher. Soon, He was asked

to be the mentor to the heir to Macedon, Prince Alexander, who would become known as one

of the greatest Kings to ever live. Aristotle was well compensated for is teachings. Rather
Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum 3

than use the money to retire, he began his own school, The Lyceum. Both The Academy and

The Lyceum share many similarities as well as many differences, but both contribute greatly

to the modern education system.

Platos Academy is known as the world's first university. Aristotle, as a student of the

Academy, saw changes that he believed needed to be made. In 335 BC he returned to Athens

to create his own school, the Lyceum. While there are many similarities between the two, the

differences are just as plentiful.

Education played a large role in Aristotle's life as he spent twenty-three or more years

of his life in the company of academics (Lynch, 1972,171). These relationships made an

enormous influence upon his thinking about what an institution of higher learning should be

(Lynch, 1972,171). Aristotle did set up a physically distinct institution, and part of the

reason may be the obvious possibility that both during his years at the Academy and during

his years away his philosophical interests had changed to the point where they were

incompatible with the interests of the community in the Academy (Lynch, 1972, 73).

The Academy was with the intention to educate disciples, philosophers who in the

future would occupy positions of authority in the state and be guided by true philosophy

(Gondek, 1). This idea gives more proof to the idea the Plato intended to indirectly contribute

to politics. Rather than the modern idea of a school-scheduled classes, mandatory curriculum,

etc-the Academy was meant more as a gathering place for people interested in studying

mathematics, philosophy and astronomy. Aristotle chose to structure the Lyceum similarly.

Both schools are organized as a complex and diverse community rather than as a simple

group consisting of a master and his pupils. (Lynch, 1972, 75). Aristotles Lyceum was also
Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum 4

similar in that it consisted of two general classes. One class focused on learning while the

other focused on research. This method is similar to the universities of today.

Unlike a more formal school which chose who attended based on ranking, both the

Academy and the Lyceum had no such hierarchy. There were virtually no prerequisites that

needed to be fulfilled before one could join. Aristotle's Lyceum was a very public place and,

in its various capacities, an integral part of daily life in the city (Lynch, 1972, 78). This type

of education was prefered by most scholars as they were free to discuss and research in an

informal setting, allowing them to be intellectually independent. While present in the

Lyceum, this was more common within Platos Academy. This intellectual freedom also

meant that after receiving as much or as little education as one desired, they were free to leave

and teach on there own, as many did. Another uncommon similarity between the two was that

neither school judged an individual based on family background.

While the schools are undoubtedly similar, there are several important differences.

One difference in relation to education was that Plato had sought to educate by teaching, and

Aristotle wished in addition to train by research (Pedersen, 1997, 13). A key difference that

Aristotle brought the the Lyceum was that he used a collection of books and created a

systematic amassing of information and material for certain purposes, generally in order to

make possible a survey of a whole field of knowledge (Dring, Lynch, 1972, 84). This

allowed for a large variety of accurate research information which could lead to new

conclusions. This system can be likened to a well updated library in today's schools, a system

that was rare for its time. Also, what we know today as the scientific method is a concept that

was popularized by Aristotle and used daily in his school.

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In Platos Academy he used dialectical relation in his teachings. Dialectical relation is

a method of argument used for solving disagreement. This consists of forming arguments

using logical reasoning to form a conclusion. Aristotle chose not to focus on dialect because

he didn't believe that those who were not yet educated could have a logical argument. Instead

of using dialectical relation, Aristotle recommended to his students to go out and seek

information from people such as hunters and fishermen who had experience in the natural

world. He also advised them to follow the procedure of collecting information, classifying it,

and adding further material as one goes along (Lynch, 1972, 87). This method allowed

students to gain real world experience and learn from reliable sources first-hand and therefore

prevent them from making false arguments. This method is generally viewed as being

superior.

Since Aristotle distrusted dialectic, he believed in discussing less and instructing more.

One method he used to ensure understanding were visual aids. In the same way as today,

individuals learn in various ways, whether reading, listening or seeing and doing. This

method has been made common among the education system since Aristotle first used it.

Plato and Aristotle had different opinions on how the school treated public matters.

Plato believed that lessons should only be taught to those who attended the Academy.

Whereas, Aristotle was willing to teach anyone willing to learn, because main goal was to

spread knowledge to as many people as possible. Aristotle has many differing goals in mind

when creating the Lyceum. One being that of spreading knowledge. Because the state had no

authority over institutions, the head of the school had complete power over how it was ran. In

very few circumstances where women educated in ancient Greece, yet Plato taught two
Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum 6

women. Opposingly, Aristotle saw no place for women in education (Lynch, 1972,92).

Today, the thought of not allowing education to be available to women is absurd. It is

possible to conclude that if Plato had not taught women in the Academy, women becoming

educated could have never happened.(Anderson, 1, 2009)

Part of what makes schools different from each other is the subjects that are focused

on the most. In catholic schools, religion is the primary focus, while english and math arent

taught as heavily. In schools today, religion cannot be part of the standard curriculum unless

the individual desires to take it as an extracurricular class. At the Academy, mathematics was

a very important subject and not so important at the Lyceum. Biology was a greater focus at

the Lyceum. Also at the Lyceum, the curriculum depended on the individual's interests at any

given time. This method allowed students to be more interested and engaged in the subject

being taught.

Aside from educational differences between the Academy and the Lyceum is their

differing political standing. Aristotle had a smaller role in his public view in Athens than

Plato. Aristotle was seen as a foreigner rather than a citizen like Plato. Because of this, the

Lyceum had few opportunities to teach politics. When wanting to pursue political knowledge,

people would turn the the Academy. However, with the addition of Demetrius of Phaleron

Politics were able to be brought to the Lyceum. Still, there was a lack of political knowledge

in the Lyceum, making the Academy superior in that field. This is somewhat ironic due to

Platos promise to abstain from being personal involved in politics.

The academy continued in existence until it was closed in 529 BCE. by the Byzantine

emperor Justinian I. Because Aristotle was not an Athenian citizen and had ties to
Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum 7

Macedonia, the Lyceum was seen as a pro-Macedonian school. Athens was very

anti-Macedonian. Alexander the Great held a personal protection over Aristotle as he was

once his personal tutor. However, upon King Alexander's death, a negative public reaction

made Aristotle an obvious target (Lynch, 1972, 95). The Lyceum continued to exist until

86 BCE when Romans assaulted Athens, destroying the school.

Both Platos Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum were brilliant schools. They paved the

way for the foundation of our schools and universities. They both contributed several

important facets of what we know today as the modern education system. While their schools

were each run differently, they both affected our education in a positive manner.
Platos Academy and Aristotles Lyceum 8

References

Anderson, Julie Maria. "Male versus Female Teachers." EHow. Demand Media, 08 Nov.
2009. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.

Lynch, John Patrick. Aristotle's School: A Study of a Greek Educational Institution.

Berkeley: University of California, 1972. Print.

Pedersen, Olaf. The First Universities: Studium Generale and the Origins of University

Education in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. Print.

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Bibliography

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Pedersen, Olaf. The First Universities: Studium Generale and the Origins of University

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