A Comparison Of Platos Academy And Plato's Lyceum

As Aristotle was one of Plato’s most devoted and bright students, it is interesting to examine the ways in which his Lyceum resembles as well as rivals Plato’s Academy. These two philosophers and their teaching practices became models for schools across Western Europe. Approximately twenty-three centuries later, the lasting impressions and continuous influences these two educators and their schools have on today’s society are remarkable.

Founded in 387 BC, upon Plato’s return to Athens, Plato’s Academy became the most famous educative institution in Greece and a model for universities across Europe.

As more of an association rather than a school, the Academy sought to educate philosophers of how to live guided by philosophy; based on what

One of Plato’s most lasting impressions is his structuring of the education system. Plato believed that children should begin school at the age of six and learn first the techniques of reading, writing, and counting, and later move on to develop music and sports skills. Plato stressed the significance of elementary education, as it is where a child’s moral character begins to form. He wanted children to love going to school and he encouraged the play method in the education of young students, which suggests that students should learn by doing, aiming to motivate and engage students in learning and eliminate the use of force in schools. These concepts hold true to education systems today. Students begin their education around age five and learn the basics first before expanding to electives. The ratio of play and work in classrooms remains a debate in the education system today, and those in the teacher education field are focusing on how to balance work and play. Plato also emphasized the importance of men and women obtaining equal educations; he believed that each member of the society should be equipped with both the physical and educational skills needed to fulfill societal roles. As previously mentioned, Plato is known to have taught two female students at his Academy, something that was uncommon in Ancient Greece. The last few centuries have seen major improvements in gender equality, however there are still many discrepancies between men and women in today’s society, such as salary and the ratio of men and women involved in the fields science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Plato was truly ahead of his time with gender equality and it would benefit our society to be reminded of his reasoning for it, which is a functional society. Continuing, Plato practiced dialectic methods at his Academy, and these methods