In this paper, we will attempt to define the basic characteristics of Plato’s conception of education and show the role that the concepts of éros (ἔρως) and philía (φιλία) play in building his educational model. The paper demonstrates that, for Plato, the educational process is understood as the transformation of the individual’s entire personality, starting from an understanding of éros as a force that leads to spiritual and intellectual growth, Within this framework, education is defined as a process of cultivating virtue (ἀρετή) and training abstract thinking. The transformation of the soul, which begins with the admiration of physical beauty and then, through recognition of spiritual values, ascends to the contemplation of the Idea of the Beauty and the Good.
In the central part, drawing on Plato’s works Symposium, Phaedrus, Lysis and Republic, we will present the key concepts and arguments that define Plato’s understanding of éros and its significance for education. In the concluding part, we will briefly offer a comparative reflection between Plato’s ideas and analogies from contemporary educational practices, showing that the fundamental principles linking éros with education are common to both modern and ancient practice, and are therefore potentially universal.
|
