Word in Education: Good, Bad and Other Word

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2020.0917.01
Keywords: Education, Word, Soul, Reason, Plato, Christianity, Knowledge

Abstract

St John’s Gospel identifies logos, translated as English ‘Word’, as the divine source of the wisdom or truth of the Christian message, if not with the godhead as such. However, given the cultural and intellectual influence of Greek thought on early Christian literature, one need not be surprised that these (and other) theological or metaphysical associations of Word are almost exactly replicated and prefigured in the dialogues of Plato, for whom formation of the divine aspect or element of human soul clearly turned upon access to or participation in the wisdom of logos. This paper explores the moral and spiritual connections between logos or Word, reason and soul in such Platonic dialogues as Gorgias, Republic and Theaetetus as well as the implications of conceiving education as the pursuit of such Word for ultimate human flourishing.

Author Biography

David Carr, Emeritus Professor, University of Edinburgh

David Carr is Emeritus Professor at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK and was until recently Professor of Ethics and Education in the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues of the University of Birmingham (UK).  He has written much on the significance of art and literature for educating moral character and on the virtue of gratitude.

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Published
2020-06-30
How to Cite
Carr, D. (2020). Word in Education: Good, Bad and Other Word. Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education, 9(1(17), 13-30. https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2020.0917.01
Issue
Vol. 9 No. 1(17) (2020): Language and the Visual Arts in Education
Section
Thematic Articles
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