We have been talking recently in class about how universities revolutionized the storage and transmission of knowledge throughout history and throughout the world. The ancient Greek academies, lyceums, gymnasiums, and museums also contributed to this change.
Entering the Macedonian era (about 7th-8th century BC), ancient Greece underwent a time of freedom. During wartimes, all eligible young men were enrolled in military schools, which was mostly just military training. However, during the peace times, these men were more available to follow such philosophers as Plato and Arisotocles. Plato established the first "academy"on the northwestern outskirts of Athens. Originally, there was but a gymnasium dedicated to the Attic hero Academus, therefore becoming the "academeia". [1]
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| Plato's Academeia |
". . .The College did not try to monopolise the education of its students. It had indeed its own tutors or instructors, but they were kept for humbler drill; it did not even for a long time keep an organist or choirmaster of its own; it sent its students out for teaching in philosophy and rhetoric and grammar, or, in a word, for all the larger and more liberal studies."[2]
Plato's Academy underwent three shifts in schools of thought. Originally, under Plato, or the "Old Academy," focused on a philosophical tradition that was moral, speculative, and dogmatic. By about 241 BC, the "Middle Academy" began to focus more on nondogmatic skepticism. By about 60 BC, the "New Academy" began to revert back to the "Old Academy" dogmatism. The academy was closed by 5 AD.
The academies of ancient Greece contributed significantly to the change between a completely orally based society to an also written one. Of this change, William Wolfe Capes, a professor of the University of Michigan, reports:
"We find indeed a trace of the old contrast between Philosopher and Sophist although in altered form. . .'Here was a day wasted in listening to a theme from a young prentice hand; at other times they had to sit in idleness while the Sophists showed their vanity in speeches of parade, . . .even when the class was kept to study they spent so much time over the old classics that they never seemed to be getting forward with the real work of education.'" [2]
Learning was sometimes done through oral exams and oral lectures, or sometimes they had to write papers and present them. The overall shift from a completely oral transmission of knowledge to at least a good mix of both thus seems to have been majorly due to the traditions represented in the academeia.
Which makes me wonder if I should just record all my blogs from now on. . .in Greek. . .
Sources: [1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2615/Academy
[2] http://books.google.com/books?id=Si8QAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=ancient+university+of+athens&source=bl&ots=CUWP5Lt2PO&sig=dPZTyJsmNYrrAO3tArZ7UZCznos&hl=en&ei=Fo25TrSVCuafiQLj75DHBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAzgK#v=thumbnail&q&f=true
I really like the end of your second quote - "they never seemed to be getting forward with the real work of education."
ReplyDeletei feel like we've all felt this in classes before. this seems to tie in(in my mind, anyways) with what was mentioned in the text about professors 'refunding' student's money when they were late to class. my wife, who is a teacher, and i had a discussion on what "the real buisness of education" is. she said that she saw it as helping students to know what they need or want to know. i suggested that the point is that the teacher knows something i don't, and i'm there so the teacher can put the knowledge they have into my head. she pointed out that this was an oversimplification and maybe a bit blasphemous, but was essentially right.
along those same lines, the main complaint i hear from BYU students is that professors either don't teach in a way that is understandable, or they don't teach information that helps students understand the subject matter.
so, if your professor doesn't get a good professor rating, should the tuition for their class be less???
This made me think of the things that we are learning. No matter what subject I name, each one comes from the past. Each is essentially a "history" class. Each class is something we take from a previous time of knowledge where we then build our own ideas. We are always continually learning from our past. Past that has been preserved through written or oral knowledge. And how that knowledge was passed on made a difference on its effect on civilizations.
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