Politics: Book VIII

I

The primary attention of a state’s legislator should be to the education of the youth as their development of character leads to the betterment of the government. And as the whole city has one end, the education should be made public rather than private because no citizen belongs to himself, but all belong to the state.

II

Arguments exist on the character of public education and the way of teaching as the confusion lays between practicability of education, issues of moral virtue and intellectuality being the aim for education; and opinions vary. Education should neither overburden nor vulgarize the mind. As occupation is divided between liberal and illiberal, knowledge, that is good for the sake of the person and friends should be imparted, but the same education, if it becomes a skill that is rendered as servile and menial, is dangerous and is to be avoided.

 
III

Education has four customary branches – i) reading & writing ii) gymnastic exercises iii) music, and iv)drawing. Reading, writing and drawing have their practical purposes and gymnastics promote courage. The problem comes at determining the value of music and Aristotle ascribes the value of leisure to it, which he says, is the first principle of all action. Leisure must not always be filled with amusement, otherwise amusement shall be the end of life, should be for suitable times as medicines for the exertions of occupation. The pleasure from leisure for different people are varied in form. Thus, whereas knowledge used for business exists for the sake of the branches of knowledge related to leisure that exist for their own sake. For this, music exists for intellectual pleasure and not for its necessity or utility. Similarly, the branches of reading, writing, and drawing can have application beyond their practicality as they can widen man's knowledge and teach him to appreciate beauty; thus making a sort of education that is noble. Children should begin with physical aspects of education as education in practice must predate that in theory as training of body must predate that of the mind.

 
IV

Development of athletic habit as the sole goal in children's education leads to malformation of holistic growth. Devoting children to only gymnastics and neglecting other forms of education vulgarizes their character. The state of decadence Lacedaemonians face is due to the aforesaid condition which has lead to the replacement of nobleness with ferocity. Boyhood should include light gymnastic training along with studies without any strict diet and then at the end of boyhood, three years should be devoted to other studies and only after that strict dietary methods and hard physical exercises should be introduced because simultaneous mental and physical labors prove to be counter-productive.

 
V

Aristotle returns to the question of music’s place in education and its nature and need. For the use, he forwards three arguments, as i) amusement and relaxation ii) development of moral character, and iii) cultivation of the mind. But why must a boy learn to play music himself when he can enjoy it as a mode of leisure and amusement being played by others like kings? It's because to gauge the correctness of music and to attain true pleasure that one should learn it with pain only to enjoy it later on. Amusement gives relaxation that relieves past pains; and this pleasantness along with the element of nobleness from intellectual enjoyment of music gives happiness. In addition, it has influence over ethical part of the soul and character and thus is a source for enthusiasm as the mimetic quality of the various modes of music and rhythm in portraying and arousing movement of varied emotions change the soul. Thus music is necessary for education because the harmonious blend of sounds results in the soul's balancing of the passions harmoniously in accordance with reason.

 
VI

Children should be taught music so as to be not only critics but performers too. To the objection that may rise as the study of music being vulgar, Aristotle says that though certain types of teaching and learning music may have degrading effect, one must carefully select the rhythm, melody and type of musical instrument to avoid the problem of degradation. The right measure of study of music will be attained if the student does not learn to the point of being professional players, i.e. playing in contests or being paid performers, but being limited to feel delighted in noble melodies and rhythms. By the same principle, instruments like flutes, harps, etc are to be excluded as they require exceptional skill to play and are merely for excitement of senses and thus have no true educational value.

 
VII

Music is produced by melody and rhythm and of the former, philosophers have made three divisions, which are ethical melodies, melodies of action and passionate & inspiriting melodies, with each having a corresponding mode. Music should be studied for i) education, ii) purgation, and iii) relaxation, enjoyment & recreation. Ethical modes are preferred in education and modes of passion and action while listening to performance of others. Purgative melodies work by creating emotions, like pity, fear, etc. in human soul which then purges it by the dint of excess of it, in a cathartic effect, and are thus sources of innocent pleasure. The performing musicians must perform varied melodies suiting the taste of the different rungs of society. Whereas the Phrygian mode is too exciting and frivolous and the Lydian gentle and relaxed, the Dorian is the ideal mode for education owing to its graveness and manliness. Aristotle ends with giving the three principles upon which education should be based: i) the mean, ii) the possible, and iii) the becoming.

- Shubhankar Das@PG I