Greek and

Roman
Education
A TIME OF POLITICAL EDUCATION
OR EDUCATIONAL POLITICS?
Presented by: Mark P. Villaplaza

Greek society

Male dominated.
Desired unity, logic, harmony,
balance, design, order, and
structure.
Religious humanistic not based
on supernatural afterlife.
Greek tragedies integrated past,
present, and future.
Believed human reason powerful
enough to find meaning of
existence and nature.
Sought universal truths to live the
good life.

Athens and Sparta united? Not exactly.

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/europe/static/map07.html

Recognized the
relationship
between the
individual and
the community.
Polis furnished
educational
aims.
Peloponnesian
War (431-404) the turning
point and the
demise of the
polis.

Polis
City-state promoted common
welfare and security.
Served to integrate every
dimension of the citizens life.
Reciprocal relationship between
good person and good society.
Cultivate virtues rather than
specialized or technical skills.
Athens affected by 4th century
commercial growth grew more
independent in private affairs.

Homeric Epics
The Iliad and The Odyssey.
Embodied wisdom, traditions, beliefs, and values.
Educational purpose - conserve culture, instill
identity based on mythic and historical origins,
shape character, and teach morality.
Heroes spoke elegantly and poetically,
combined wisdom, action, and glory, performed
warrior arts, and observed religious rituals.

Pursued Arete - excellence

Homer pioneering figure in moral

education. Actions of characters
have consequences that affect not
only them but those that depend
on them. Ex: Odysseus

Greek education devoted to epic

poetry lifes heroic dimensions
and the ideal of glory.

Athenians

Humane,

dynamic, and
rational
(humanistic).
Earthly activities
rather than life
after death.

Athenian Education

Goal was to produce an ideal well-rounded,

liberally educated individual.

Both formal and informal aspects cultivated a

many-sided person who was an excellent man
and contributor to general welfare.

No attendance mandates.

Minimal regulation that children learn to read

and swim.

Greater variety of formal educations patterns

than in Sparta.

The Spartans

Code

of Lycurgus Spartans
to soldiering.
Who

was Lycurgus?
Nobleman who applied to the
oracle at Delphi and was told
gods would support him in his
endeavor. Banished gold and
silver, divided land, and made
the Spartans agree to an oath
to follow his laws until he
returned (Ripperton, 2000).

Spartan Societal Roles

10% of the population were the ruling

military elite called the Spartiales.
Perioikoi included the common class
who had economic not political rights
Helots slaves.
At birth, babies were taken to Ephors
for visual assessment, at 7 to military
school for 11 years, at 18, received
two additional years of military
training. From age 20-30 were on
active duty.

Spartan Model

Rejected humanistic education, wanted

practical and military training.

Courage was portrayed by planned and

executed savagery.

Made city-state focus of human life and

endeavor.

Collected hero obeyed commands and

followed orders without question.

Loyalty and discipline was the key.

Intellectual content minimized - only

rudiments of reading and writing were
taught.

Hellenic worldview
Rational

inhabitant of a purposeful
and orderly universe.

Alternate

experience of reality
Philosophers.

Practical

formulation of educational
methodology Sophists.

Greek Education Theory

Greeks
colonization (800550 B.C) ---social
changes --- riches
sought political
power--- Sophists
appeared to satisfy
the need.
Sophists(470370B.C)

In 4th century B.C.,

accelerated rate of
commercial growth--cultural crisis--Philosophers sought
to reconstruct,
integrate, and order
cultural life.

Socrates (469-399
B.C.)
Plato (427-347 B.C.)
Aristotle (384-322
B.C.)

Isocrates (436338B.C.)

Who were the Sophists?

Sought education to lead to

political power and social status.

Concerned with making policy

(special interests) rather than
finding truth.

Claimed that they taught virtue

and charged a fee for their
services.

Educational Agenda of the

Sophists

Acquire intellectual and interpersonal

characteristics and skills needed for
success in a changing society --strategies of practical politics

Master the discussion, persuasion, and

argumentation skills that contributed to
social, political, and legal success--grammar, logic, and rhetoric

What were the Sophists

contributions?

Extended educational opportunities to

more students, contributed to class
mobility, and furthered democratization.

Developed the trivium (logic, grammar,

and rhetoric) of Later Roman and
Medieval education

Protagoras of Abdera

Highly regarded Sophist teacher.

Believed in changing reality and

special interests (relativism)

Known primarily for three claims

(1) that man is the measure of all
things (2) that he could make the
"worse (or weaker) argument
appear the better (or stronger)"
and (3) that one could not tell if the
gods existed or not (Poster, 2006).

So what is the difference in

values?
Traditional Values

Sophist Values

Courage

Individualism

Justice

Subjectivism

Self-restraint

Hedonism

when behavior is
motivated by
the desire for
pleasure and
the avoidance
of pain (Wikipedia,
2006).

Socrates Governed by rationality

Philosophy: the persons only reason for

being is to experience moral excellence.
Sought to discover universal principles of
truth, beauty, and justice.
Epistemology: Believed genuine knowledge
exists and needs to be brought to
consciousness.
Education: The goal is to build moral
predispositions. The method is to ask leading
questions to stimulate students to inquiry
truth.

Discussion: Socrates method

is a way of teaching or
learning?

Plato A founder of Idealism

Philosophy: Encouraged searching for the

essence of goodness, truth, and beauty.
Platos theory of ideas. The Republic (3
classes).
Epistemology: Knowledge is eternally valid
and that values are unchanging. Learning
is to rediscovery of truth.
Education: Functionalist model,
designed to produce competent adults to
meet the needs of the state. Platos plan
provided education for 3 groups: worker,
soldiers, and rulers.

Aristotle A founder of Realism

Philosophy: Human defining
quality (soul, mind, or intellect)
provides the potential for
rationality. Asserted the existence
of an objective order of reality.
Epistemology: Knowledge begins
with external objective - the quest
of happiness.
Education: Gave education a
major role in developing virtue
and excellence. Asserted liberal
arts.

Founder of the
Western
philosophical
realism.

Isocrates Intellect is a priority.

Philosophy:. Critical of the sophists who taught

rhetoric as practical gimmicks. Orator has a
civic responsibility to be trustworthy.

Epistemology: Didnt believe people could

discover absolute truths. Knowledge is useful
because it improves character and prepares
one for life.

Education: Effective and well-organized

educator. Like many modern thinkers, tends to
view education as the savior of the world (Willis,
2006). Believed in importance of educating
virtuous leaders to be models for citizens.

Commonalities
The Greek philosophers speculated
about human nature and hoped to find
the universal patterns (truth) that
governed reality.
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all believe
reasoning.
Plato, Aristotle, and Isocrates conceived
of human nature as a duality of the
mental and the physical.
All recognized that education is directly
related to both the healthy individual
and harmoniously integrated society.

Differences
Ways in discovering universal truth by the
Greek philosophers
Philosophy: While Plato shut his eyes to the
sensory word and used his reason, Aristotle
used his senses as well and thought nature is
real world.
Epistemology: For Socrates /Plato, knowing is
a matter of recognizing ideas already
lodged in consciousness. For Aristotle,
knowledge begins with external objects.
Education on women: (Athens, Sparta,
Plato, Aristotle, and Rome)

Stoics and Epicureans

Stoics (Zeno, 340-265BC): What happens to

body is unimportant. Each person is to fulfill
practical social duties and also preserve
independence ---have great significance for
Roman culture.
Epicureans (Epicurus, 342-270BC): Only
object in life is to secure pleasure and to
avoid pain.
Both had roots in the teaching of Socrates.
(Gaarder, 1991)

In contrast to Stoics, the Epicureans showed

little or no interest in politics and the
community (Gaarder, 1991)

The Roman Empire

http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/%7Evandersp/index.html

Roman Education - In Early Republic

Function of education is to transmit traditions to

the young.

Values (e.g., duty, self-control, temperance) were

to be exemplified by the parents - especially by
the father.

Purpose was to produce a highly practical man,

who knew how to manage his land and
superintend his slaves.

Roman Education After cultural

change

Necessity of governing as an empire --- rely on Greek as

an international language --- Greek culture mastered the
Romans.

Political transition--- traditional value is not enough--sophisticated political and managerial competencies are
required.

Institutional Patterns of Roman

Education
Roman Capriccio, Oil on Canvas
painted by Giovanni Paolo Pannini,
1734
http://www.eliki.com/coliseum/

Influenced by Greek culture and the

formal educational system.
Elementary school, Ludus
Secondary education, Grammar school
Higher studies (16-18), Rhetorical school
Church school eventually acquired
educational significance.

Roman Conception of Education

Orator is the model

of an educated
person.

Isocrates had an
impact on Roman
educational theory.

Well-educated men
who demonstrated
interest in affairs of
the republic were
Cicero and
Quintilian.

Cicero The compromiser

Combined the best of both older Roman

practicality and newer Greek utility or humanism.

Practical ethics and logic.

Should possess grace and wit, be quick to reply,

and competent of speaking styles.

Most important subjects were history, law, and

philosophy.

Quintilian The Chair ofIdentified

Latin significant
Had more of a
Rhetoric
systematic
educational theory.
Thought grammar
and rhetoric should
be taught
separately.
Speaking and
personal excellence
are reciprocal.
Learning should be
appropriate to
learners abilities
and readiness.

stages of human
development.

0-7 impulsive immediate

satisfaction of needs and desires.

7-14 learns from sensory

experience forms clear ideas
and develops memory.

14-17 reasoning liberal arts in

grammaticus.

Students questions after reading

Transcontextual Concerns:
Western and eastern
Practice in other country
What do we want to
know more?
Developmental
trajectories:
Influence on current
Education

Special issues:
Woman education
Why, who, and how

One of our concerns

Confucianism
Greeks saw a
sought political
reciprocal
harmony by
relationship
trying to achieve
between the
the moral
good person
harmony in man
and the good
himself, aiming
society, placed
at the restoration
a priority on
of a rationalized
cultivating What
virtues is your
opinion?
feudal order.
common to all
Discussions of other questions
citizens.

References
Gaarder, J. (1991). Sophies world. New
York: Berkley Books.
Gutek, G.L. (2005).. A history of the
western educational experience (2nd ed).
Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Lin, Y.T. (1938). The wisdom of Confucius.
New York: The Modern Library.
Noddings, N. (2006). Philosophy of
education. Westview.
Poster, C. (2006). Protagoras. The
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/p/pro
tagor.htm

References

Ripperton, L. (2000). Lycurgus and the

Spartan Laws.
http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php
?author=morris&book=greek&story=lycur
gus
Vanderspoel, J. (1997). The Roman
empire at its greatest extent.
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/%7Evanders
p/index.html
Wikipedia. (2006). Hedonism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonism
Willis, W. (2006). Isocrates (436 - 338 B.C.).
http://people.moreheadst.edu/fs/w.willis/isocrates.html