Some Closing Remarks

Abstract

Reviews the main arguments of the book, and considers how these reveal how Plato fashions his work in such a way as to summon the power of knowledge in his readers through the use of images that represent—but do not fully express—the highest realities, the forms. But the kind of education Plato provides in the Republic does not and cannot bring the power of knowledge power into its fullest realization. Instead, the Republic aims to generate thinking, but not understanding, in Plato’s terms. Shows how Plato’s theory of education through exemplars and images may also inform contemporary ideas about how role models may be used in moral education.