The city of Athens followed strict laws for years that were punishable by death if broken or violated. One of the most important laws was the belief only in the multiple gods that the government believed in. For the most part, the citizens of Athens followed these laws because obeying the government and their religion was crucial to their way of life. It was only when philosophical thinking became more popular that citizens began to think differently. It began with the philosophical thinker Socrates. Socrates is now well known for his "Socratic method", a method that laid the foundation for Western systems of logic and philosophy (Biography of Socrates). Socrates' thoughts on the role and meaning of education in the city of Athens can be seen through his statement of apology to the Athenian court in which he was sentenced to death for allegedly corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods of governmental law. “Socrates is guilty of having refused to recognize the gods recognized by the State and of having introduced other new divinities. He is also guilty of corruption of the youth. » (Plato: The Apology of Socrates). Through his apology, Socrates defends himself and exposes what he is trying to accomplish through his teachings. Socrates was not corrupting the youth of Athens as was claimed, his accusers were not informed of his ideas and did not understand his thinking. It scared them because people are afraid of the unknown and not understanding something, they want to be completely wise. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay They were threatened by Socrates' ability to accept and admit his ignorance, the fact that he indeed knew nothing at all, which led him to accept for himself, wiser than most. This is also the first principle of Socratic philosophy: to learn, you must admit your ignorance. In the Apologies, Socrates sets out the main purpose of his teachings. “For I do nothing other than exhort you, young and old, not to worry more about your persons or your property than about the improvement of your soul, or even about so many things; and I tell you that virtue does not come from money, but from virtue comes money and all other goods for man, both for the individual and for the State. » (Plato: The Apology of Socrates). Socrates strongly emphasized that knowledge comes from virtue and the acceptance of ignorance, because only then can one develop one's intelligence and become wiser. He wanted to move away from the theological doctrine of government and establish an ethical system based on human reason and thought in order to ensure the greatest well-being of Athenian society. Socrates emphasized “the importance of the mind compared to the relative insignificance of the human body. » (Biography of Socrates). Socrates' teachings influenced one of the teachings of his student, Plato, who believed in the division of reality into two realms, the world of the senses and the world of ideas. Plato drew inspiration from Socrates in his philosophical ideas about education and the role it played in the city of Athens. Plato shares his ideas through his account of The Allegory of the Cave. He uses this story to illustrate the effects of education on the human soul and spirit. According to Plato, there are four ways of thinking: imagination, belief, thought and understanding; each part of the story represents one of these stages. It begins with prisoners locked in a cave, only able to visualize what they see.sees on the wall in front of them, the shadows produced by the light of a fire. For prisoners it is what they know to be true, and for Plato it is the stage of imagination, the lowest stage. Then one of the prisoners is released and now sees that the shadows are not reality, they are actually fire and statues producing the images he saw on the wall. He now believes in statues and fire is reality – the stage of belief. When the prisoner reaches the outside world, he is able to see the real objects the statues are based on, reaching the stage of thought. Finally, he reaches the final stage of understanding by realizing that the sun is the cause of everything he sees around. him. In his account of the Allegory of the Cave, Plato asserts that the main aim of education should not be to introduce knowledge into the soul, but to turn the soul towards right desires, focusing on the Form of Good. Plato asserts that mathematics and philosophical dialectics are the two most important subjects to study in order to bring the soul out of the realm of the senses and into the realm of intelligence and ideas – an idea influenced by his teacher Socrates. According to Plato, mathematics prepared one for philosophical dialectics, the most important form of study because it leaves the senses aside and focuses on philosophical reasoning. The emphasis on mathematics in his teachings was because it encouraged his students to focus on the intelligible realm and aim for truths outside the realm of the senses. His students abandoned their ideas based on their human senses and relied on reasoning to contemplate the truths of the world. Plato believed that a true philosopher must ignore his senses and rely solely on thought. This is where ideas about education between Aristotle and Plato diverge. Although Aristotle was a student of Plato, his method of education was based on the observational method of scientific investigation. Aristotle sets out his ideal thoughts for an educational system in the city of Athens through his writings on Politics in Book VIII. Aristotle states that a city's educational system is the basis for determining people's character. He therefore believes that it is important that the education system meets the needs of the city itself. He strongly believes in public education, just like Socrates and Plato. Aristotle wants children to learn what is useful, moral goodness and pure knowledge. He had four main disciplines of study described in his writings: reading and writing, physical training, music, and drawing. The reason behind choosing these four disciplines is that Aristotle believes that a lifestyle of work, play, relaxation and leisure is best for the mind, body and soul in order to broaden the knowledge. Reading and writing satisfy the work part of Aristotle's system, this is where students would learn and express their knowledge. Drawing brings a more creative and artistic side to the mind and helps the individual to think differently from a more scientific point of view. Physical training would also fall into the category of work. Aristotle believes that a student should receive light training until he reaches puberty, study for three years, and then begin physical training again alongside his studies to work the body and mind simultaneously. Music was the final part of his four fields of study. He believes that music should be included in education for entertainment and relaxation. However, the study of music should go no further than the appreciation of rhythm and harmony, for if it went further, the students.