Reading Aristotle’s Education for the 21st Century

Abstract

The possible solutions for various social, economic, psychological and political problems of the century are hidden within the magical concept of education. Most people regard education as a key concept to be questioned in order to better our lives. The educational systems in different countries are shaped by the governments, a fact which directs us to the relation between education and politics. Additionally, the link that Aristotle establishes between education and politics focuses our attention on ethics. In order to examine how politics, education and ethics were dependent on each other in antiquity, the present study aims to explore Aristotle’s view of education and how he connects education to politics and ethics. Initially in this study, Aristotle’s classification of sciences into three categories according to their aims, methods and objects is explored. Then, under which classification politics and education fall and why they are related are discussed. Later, how Aristotle’s view of education is tied to the concepts of good and happiness is examined. It is claimed that exploration of Aristotle’s view of politics relating to education and ethics will shed light to many institutional flaws in today’s educational systems.