The Conflict of Paideias in Gadamer's Thought (1)
ABSTRACT: Although Gadamer's study of Greek paideia has been virtually ignored in the scholarly literature, I argue that it is central to his philosophy of education. Gadamer singles out three kinds of paideia: traditional, sophistic and philosophic. Traditional paideia, grounded in an unaware habit or disposition of the soul, was vulnerable when sophistic paideia brought reasoned argument against it. This 'new' paideia originally supported traditional notions of the just and the good with its conscious art of argumentation and pragmatic enhancement of success. But this paideia also undermined conventional morality by arguing that it is only convention, thereby corrupting the youth of Athens by appealing to the untrammeled desire for power. Philosophical paideia takes its bearings from the sophistic as its deepest opponent and counterimage. It turns out, however, that the two are virtually indistinguishable. Both bring thinking to consciousness; both are rhetorical arts; both create confusion; and both are subject to the 'weakness of the logoi.' In the end, the difference between them rests not on distinctions of reason, but the intent of the reasoner. This conflict of paideias is relevant to the situation of education today. Problems of narrow technical perspective and the broadest ideological manipulation are directly traceable to sophistic paideia. Thus, Gadamer points to hermeneutical praxis as 'the heart of all education that wants to teach how to philosophize.'
Hans-Georg Gadamer describes the traditional ideal of Greek education as turning the student toward everything exempt from necessity comprising the beautiful. (2) This paideia consisted above all in developing a harmonious disposition of the soul, a hexis or "habit," through early training in music and gymnastic. (3) Its guiding purpose was to create citizens fit to govern in freedom.
Clearly the importance of paideia as an educational concept can hardly be over-emphasized. Gadamer is an increasingly influential figure in the philosophy of education. He is also one of the eminent classicists of our times. Yet although paideia and its relevance to contemporary education forms a recurring theme in Gadamer's writings, this historical dimension of his approach to education has been virtually ignored in the scholarly literature. (4) One may speculate that the reason for this lacuna is a tendency to approach the subject more analytically than historically. Moreover, the theme appears in so many essays, spanning Gadamer's entire career, that it is difficult to follow the trail of his study.
185-196. Dillon, Mathew, and Garland, Lynda. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates. Routledge International Thompson Publishing Company, 1994, pp. 179-215 Lefkowitz, Mary.
In Walter Mosley’s Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, the reader is introduced to Socrates Fortlow, an ex-convict who served twenty-seven years for murder and rape. Fortlow is plagued by guilt and, seeing the chaos in his town, feels a need to improve not only his own standards of living, but also those of others in Watts. He attempts this by teaching the people in Watts the lessons he feels will resolve the many challenges the neighbourhood faces. The lessons Fortlow teaches and the methods by which he teaches them are very similar to those of the ancient Greek philosopher for whom Fortlow was named: “‘We was poor and country. My mother couldn’t afford school so she figured that if she named me after somebody smart then maybe I’d get smart’” (Mosley, 44). Though the ancient Greek was born to be a philosopher and Fortlow assumed the philosopher role as a response to the poor state of his life and Watts, both resulted in the same required instruction to their populations. The two Socrates’ both utilize a form of teaching that requires their pupil to become engaged in the lesson. They emphasize ethics, logic, and knowledge in their instruction, and place importance on epistemology and definitions because they feel a problem cannot be solved if one does not first know what it is. Socrates was essential in first introducing these concepts to the world and seemed to be born with them inherent to his being, Fortlow has learned the ideals through life experience and is a real-world application in an area that needs the teachings to get on track. While the two men bear many similarities, their differences they are attributed primarily as a result of their circumstances provide the basis of Fortlow’s importance in Watts and as a modern-...
Socrates argues that he could not have intentionally corrupted Athenian youth through two premises: The first being that he would certainly not want to live amongst ...
Moran, Sean. "Greek Conceptions of Virtue." Waterford Institute of Technology (n.d.): 1-5. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is famous for the detail with which he crafted the quintessential American novel, The Great Gatsby. With his well-chosen words, Fitzgerald painted a fantastic portrait of life during the Roaring Twenties in the minds of his readers, a picture rich with color and excitement. Four colors: green, gold, white, and gray played key roles in the symbolic demonstration of ideas and feelings which, woven together seamlessly, made The Great Gatsby a world-renowned work of literary genius.
Education is a topic that can be explored in many ways. Education is looked at in depth by both Richard Rodriguez in his essay, “The Achievement of Desire”, and by Paulo Freire in his essay, “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” After reading both essays, one can make some assumptions about different methods of education and exactly by which method Rodriguez was taught. The types of relationships Rodriguez had with his teachers, family and in life were affected by specific styles of education.
The Lincoln Electric Company corporate culture today is an extension of that which the founder John C. Lincoln and his younger brother James F. Lincoln instituted over a century ago. The company today remains a profitable, growing and admired organization. Its culture has been analyzed and utilized as an example in business education for many years. The success of the company can be attributed to: the efficiency their corporate philosophy and culture has instilled in their employees; meeting the needs of the customers; and lastly rewarding the shareholders. The gist of their corporate mindset is summed up by the past President, Mr. Willis “Lincoln Electric differs from most other companies in the importance it assigns to each of the groups it serves. (He) identifies these groups, in the order of priority as (1) customers, (2) employees, and (3) stockholders”(Sharplin, Arthur, 1989) According to Carpenter, Taylor, and Erdogan (2009), “When entrepreneurs establish their own businesses, the way they want to do business determines the organization’s rules, the structure set up in the company, and the people they hire to work with them.” James F. Lincoln was strongly influenced by religious teachings which he incorporated into his business ethics. According to Lincoln:
Nardo, Don. The Ancient Greeks at Home and at Work. 1st ed. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2004. Print.
The Republic is Plato’s notion of an ideal state. Within the state, there is a hierarchal class system, which provides stability among the classes. Stability is achieved when each class performs their own duties and jobs, and does not interfere with the business of others. There are three hierarchal classes, the guardians and philosopher-kings, the auxiliaries, and the working class. With an increase in the power of the auxiliary class, a system was needed that would control the morals of the guardian class. The guardians are trained up through a strict curriculum which consists of music and gymnastics. Music is used to educate the soul, and gymnastics is used to train the body. They act on behalf of the good of the whole state, because through their education and their pursuit of knowledge, they have the moral capacity to seek “the good”.(505a)
When thinking of ancient Greece, images of revolutionary contrapposto sculpture, ornate lecture halls, and great philosophers in togas are sure to come to mind. As the birthplace of democracy and western philosophy, ancient Greece has had an inordinate influence on the progression of the modern world. However, the ancient Greeks’ treatment of women is seemingly at direct odds with their progressive and idealistic society.
on in the Greek society, poor and rich students all went to school and all men
Vermeer, Dura. “Structure and Agency in Modern Greek Education, Photograph.” Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost. Structure and Agency in Modern Greek Education. Accessed April 8, 2014. about:newtab.
People have questioned gun control long time. Many people wonder if anyone, aside from those who join the law force, should be allowed to carry guns. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” (Wright 4). Franklin understood that taking guns away from law-abiding citizens would not uphold their liberty. Some people who argue for gun control state many violent crimes involve guns. Others believe a child could find the gun and something bad could happen to the child or others when a gun is unsafely stored. People who argue against gun control might say there is a huge psychological gap between citizens who shoot to protect themselves or their property and those who go into schools and shoot at others. Criminals will always find a way around gun control laws and will be able to obtain and use guns illegally. The second amendment protects gun rights for individual citizens. Reasonable gun control laws and educational steps can be taken to protect the majority of U.S. citizens. Gun control does not only take guns away from criminals, gun control also limits law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves and their families when necessary.
Early thought processes concerning education laid the groundwork for the modern philosophy of education, including university structures and frameworks. What our ancients have advocated is said to be the cause of every century’s success in continually gaining knowledge. But Plato and Aristotle had very different opinions when it came to the education branch of life.
Ancient Greece developed the idea of school systems around mid seventh century B.C., one century after writing was introduced (Handbook: Greece 253), however, it was not until the Hellenistic age that these schools were founded or maintained by the city (Devambez 404). Before the Hell...