Pre-College Philosophy: Its Implications for American Democracy in the 21st Century
Abstract
Education has played a primary role in the development of democracy, beginning with its inception in Ancient Greece. It would be a mistake to examine the modern relationship between education and democracy without using Plato’s philosophy as a vantage point. Plato’s Republic was the first work of political philosophy, which along with Plato’s other dialogues, provides an important historical link between modern and ancient political life. By reading Plato, we have insight into Athenian democracy, which we may contextualize against our own democracy, from inception until now. What we learn is that the challenges posed by democracy in ancient Greece are not distinct from the challenges we face today. Socrates’ attempt to cultivate philosophy in Athens was a futile one. His public questioning of Athens’ most prominent men was taken, rather, as a kind of public shaming. He was sentenced to death, sealed his fate, and drank the hemlock, as Plato recounts in the Apology of Socrates. Through Socrates, Plato offers compelling evidence that a democracy ill-disposed towards philosophy is no more democratic than a mob––how loudly these concerns echo in 21st century American democracy. The division caused by protests and the eristic debate culture on social media demand resolution in the form of civil discourse; yet there is little advancement towards a practical solution beyond the sharing of platitudes suggesting we “coexist.” To effectively coexist, we must engage the diverse thought that underscores our democratic society, which is precisely where philosophy finds its place in K-12 education.
Subject
ChildrenCitizens
Democracy
Education
Internet
Jefferson
Philosophy
Plato
Pre-college philosophy
Republic
Socrates
Social media
Citation
Drozd, Cora Patricia (2018). Pre-College Philosophy: Its Implications for American Democracy in the 21st Century. Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /188514.