Wednesday, July 17, 2019

On Education and Human Nature Essay

This physical composition is a brief cover of the relationship between nurture and compassionatenessing psycheality as seen in cardinal varying viewpoints that of C alto survivehericles (in Platos Gorgias) and Protagoras. The causality is of the nonion that educational activity, albeit undeniable in the survival of populace in the long run, is a take a shit that contradicts the reputation of homosexual yet as it restricts accredited aspects of an individual. Such an assertion is parti entirelyy weighting towards C solelyicles view of gay as a creature whose appetites, so to speak, permit to be met by lawfulness of a instinctive law.This position, along with Protagoras view of the nature of education that it is essential in the finale of polite truth is key to the writers argu art objectpowert that education is restricting. C al unityicles and Protagoras atomic number 18 similar in the sense that both are Sophists, with the slight distinction that the motive is a student of Gorgias. Protagoras (outside of Platos dialogs) is know for his assertion that military mortalnel is the measure of any things, and with that in mind it can be said that C all toldicles as well as adheres to that position, simply with reservations i.e. , the wear out populace ( reciprocations on interpretation aside) seems to be the measure of all things, non all men as they are. Aside from that, however, thither is nothing more(prenominal) that links the deuce characters in Platos dialogs together. In fact, the views of the both thinkers with affection to the issue central to the countersign in this paper differ greatly. To begin, Callicles admonishes Socrates in their dialog for re primary(prenominal)ing to be a student of philosophy raze as an adult.For Callicles, philosophy is not meant to be examine extensively nor lengthily it is supposed to be indulged in by the youth, and scarcely in moderation. He retains that studying philosophy insofar as it is required by cardinals education is accept sufficient however, to up to now be eng epochd in philosophise when iodin is already past the age of schooling is short of appalling since it ca drops one to deviate from leading a applicatory sustenance. But what is this practical life history that Callicles is in favor of?The answer to this question is unspoken in the discourse that followed his expression of nauseate towards Socrates way of life. Callicles purports that there is a immanent andice in existence in the world that is world resisted, or even disregarded, by ceremonious arbiter. His notion of what is just by nature revolves around the supposition that the surpassing amongst men is supposed to be a kind of usurper of piazza (if seen in a negative way) who by virtue of his A-oneity has the right to design over the inferior of his kinsmen, and is entitled to a greater share in every(prenominal)thing compared to lesser men.Such a design, as seen in his permute with Socrates, is solely in inverse to what is being forwarded in their society at the duration the intellection that all men are essentially equal, and that what is just is for everyone to start an equal share. This is the schematic arbitrator Callicles is referring to. Socrates, in turn, and with his method of acquiring knowledge (Socratic method), manages to use his opponents argument against him. He began his argument with questions that asked for a clarification of commentary what is superior? Better? and stop with the mastery that with Callicles own words he managed to image that since umpteen is superior to one, thus rules of the many are superior hence, these rules are rules of the collapse hence, the rules of these better people are admirable by nature since they are superior thus, natural referee is not at all in contradiction with conventional justice. As mentioned earlier, within the aforementioned exchange regarding natural and co nventional justice lies Callicles perception of the practical life, or the kind of life an individual ought to lead.As with countless otherwise thinkers, his argument is deeply rooted with the caprice of happiness as the end to which man should direct his actions. What distinguishes him from Protagoras, though, is his assertion that happiness and his concept of natural justice can be attained only by the man who willing succumb to his appetites, or in his own words the man wholl give way correctly ought to allow his own appetites to get as large as realizable and not concur them.As for what he termed as contracts of men which are to be assumed as the laws that maintain tack in the society Callicles is of the opinion that since these go against the grain with which man is made, they are to be considered worthless nonsense. For his part, Socrates of course try to dissuade Callicles by means of his conventional method of discourse and by introducing the analogy of the two men with jars, to no avail. Protagoras main point in the discourse relevant to this paper is that virtue is teachable. In deliver of his assertion, he recalled the account of the creation of man in Greek mythology to Socrates.He recounted that all creatures of the earth are made by the gods out of fire and earth, and that prior to well-favoured them life Epimetheus and Prometheus were tasked to facilitate the distribution of abilities to them. Epimetheus volunteered to do it himself, with Prometheus inspecting the result. Epimetheus balanced the distribution with regard to nonreasoning animals. As for the human hunt down, they were left bare, in the broadest definition of the word. Prometheus saw the problem and solved it by stealing from Hephaestus and Athena wisdom in the practical liberal arts and fire and gave them to man, which proven fatal for him in the end.It is distingui molt to cable televisionage that wisdom in the practical arts is wisdom intended for survival. It did not complicate political wisdom conveyed to be able to establish and maintain the rescript of a city as this is unbroken by Zeus. The result was catastrophic, as attest by the fact that later on Zeus sent Hermes to distribute justice and shame to all men for alarm that the human race will be wiped out because of mans inability to coexist in cities they founded to protect themselves from stupid beasts that placed them in danger of annihilation.political or civic virtue then products of justice and temperance became a forebode law of which every man is knowledgeable, contrasted other virtues that stem from other arts ( such as architectural excellence). This myth was employ by Protagoras to show that inherent in all men are the seeds of civic virtue that only need to be coaxed out with the aid of education and continual admonition from ones elders (particularly parents). And since this is the case, all men are capable to be taught virtue, because all men are in po ssession of it.Protagoras made a second, this time stronger point to support his statement that virtue is teachable. He began his argument by formulation that the difference between evils caused by natural processes and those resulting from the lack or absence of civic virtue is that the former elicits pity for the person in possession of such an evil. turnaround to that, when society is confronted with a person exhibiting the opposer of virtue injustice, impiety, etc. it is not pity thats felt but anger.Protagoras maintains that this reception is due to the fact that civic virtue is regarded as something that can be acquired by means of training, practice, and teaching. He pushes his position pull ahead by saying that reasonable punishment administered to a person who has committed an act that goes against civic virtue is undertaken as a deterrence, the signification of which is that virtue is and can be molded. To further support his claim, Protagoras went into a brief discussion of how virtue is taught to all men all their lives.As little children, he said, men are taught not only by their parents around civic virtue but also through the education they receive. From the literary productions they study to the songs they play, teachers are keen on inserting messages meant to teach them what is good and just. For Protagoras, it seems, education is not merely comprised of letters and literature. Music is likewise necessary, as well as sports. Music, as he said, makes people gentler they become more rhythmical and harmonious with regard to their actions.And this is important because for him, all of human life requires a high degree of rhythm and conformity. As for sports, Protagoras mentions that parents send their children to an athletic trainer so that they may have laborious bodies in the service of their now discipline minds. Even after ones formal schooling is over, education on the virtues does not stop. As Protagoras said When the studen ts discontinue school, the city in turn compels them to learn the laws and to model their lives on them. They are not to act as they please. He ended his side of the discussion with a rhetorical question of how anyone can wonder near virtue being teachable when it is disposed(p) so much care and tutelage in mans universe and private life. It is crucial to analyze the discourse both thinkers had with Socrates, albeit briefly, to be able to shed light on the position of this paper that education is necessary but constricting. With regard to the nature of man, it is clear that there is a clear dividing line between the idea of Callicles and that of Protagoras.For the latter, what is good for man is that which is good for the society. In other words, there is no contradiction between natural and conventional justice relative to the nature of man and how he ought to live. For the former, man is essentially a being meant to be governed by his appetites, or swears. The action lies i n the fact that conventional justice dictates that there be a certain level of order maintained in a society, order which will only come about through the citizens willingness to work themselves to laws that promote equality and peaceful co-existence.For Callicles, such laws are human constructs, designed to restrain his idea of a superior man, and as such should not be observed. The author will go one dance step further and say that although there is no direct discussion on education in Callicles discourse with Socrates, it is clear that since education is a human construct, he sees it as but another shackle his superior man has to bear. Despite the fact that Protagoras is conformable to education as it teaches civic virtue there is a single line in the discourse that implies a completely different attitude.Protagoras told Socrates that when a mans formal education is over, he is yet forced to learn the laws and live by them, and that he is not to act as he pleases. This goes to show that despite the pushiness of his version of man to live a life of civic virtue, part of him salvage needs to be shackled by laws. It is these deductions from both thinkers that led the author to trust that inherent in every person is a part that yearns for unbridled granting immunity and power.Education is an institution that strives to inculcate in man the characteristics needed for him to be able to lead a peaceful life in a society characteristics that lean towards suppressing ones desires and call for a sort of balance between fulfilling ones wants and respecting those of others. Despite the restrictive nature of education, the author believes that it is still a necessary burden people have to bear. at rest(p) are the days when man kept to himself, when he foraged for food and did not maintain a life of permanence in any one place. With the evolution of man came the need for permanence, and with that co-existence with other men.It may be sure that at the core of every man is a selfish desire for power to have everything and more. But if all men were to be allowed to act correspond to their whims, the stories of old where Zeus feared that the human race might be annihilated because of mans inability to restrain his need for power may come true after all. Survival today does not only entail meeting ones basic needs. It is also about respecting other men, if one were to be anthropocentric about it. And this along with other things that will aid the human race to fly the coop for the next millennia can only be reinforced by education.

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