Education and Politikon Zoōn
Education and Politikon Zoōn

Summary/Abstract: Aristotle’s definition of humans determines his understanding of education (paideia) in Politics as politikon zoōn. This definition should always be considered together with the other most important Aristotle’s statement about the human being, in which he claims that “man alone of the animals possesses speech (logós)”. The ability to speak becomes most important within the specific political partnership (pólis), which has at last attained the limit of virtually complete “self-sufficiency” (autarkeías). Contrary to “every household” where the eldest member “gives the law” (themisteúei) to sons and spouses, in the city (pólis), the “speech (logós) is designed to indicate (semaíneiv) the advantageous and harmful, and the right and wrong”. In sum, justice became political (dikaiosunē politikóv). It always appears like the outcome of an argument or dispute (krísis) on what is just (toū dikaíou). We should understand education (paideia) in the context of the previous statements. Dispute (amfisbetéin), the keyword of Aristotle’s understanding of education, appears in the first sentence of Politics VIII. Aristotle states that “they (people) dispute” the question of what “constitutes education and what is the proper way to be educated”. There is not one complete, definitive, and standard answer to the question of what is the best way to be educated that we should implement in the educational activities. Based on Aristotle’s view, I claim that the first purpose of education is not to determine and constrain the activity of the youth and citizens in general, but to provoke and facilitate the dispute on the essence and aims of education.

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