"Turning the Soul": An Investigation of Georgios Gemistos Plethonʼs Teaching Methods and Educational Philosophy

This paper explores Georgios Gemistos Plethonʼs (circa 1355–1452 ACE) teaching methods and educational philosophy. We refer to the Byzantine philosopher as Gemistos and not Plethon, because most of his teachings and works were written while he was known as Gemistos. This paper is divided into several sections. It begins with a brief biography of Gemistos and then follows with a discussion on the general contours of Byzantine education, specifically Outer and Inner Learning as well as fourteenth and fifteenth century Christian perceptions of ancient Greek learning. In section three this paper investigates Gemistosʼs teaching methods and how Platoʼs notion of "turning the soul" may have influenced Gemistos understanding of how students learned best. Section four explores Gemistosʼs educational philosophy, his views on Plato and Aristotle as well his religious beliefs and how these may have impacted his teaching. This paper concludes with a discussion of Gemistosʼs lasting impact on education and learning.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC

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