Neither must we suppose
that any one of the citizens belongs to himself, for they all belong
to the state, and are each of them a part of the state, and the care
of each part is inseparable from the care of the whole. In this
particular as in some others the Lacedaemonians are to be praised, for
they take the greatest pains about their children, and make
education the business of the state.
II
That education should be regulated by law and should be an affair of
state is not to be denied, but what should be the character of this
public education, and how young persons should be educated, are
questions which remain to be considered. As things are, there is
disagreement about the subjects. For mankind are by no means agreed
about the things to be taught, whether we look to virtue or the best
life. Neither is it clear whether education is more concerned with
intellectual or with moral virtue. The existing practice is
perplexing; no one knows on what principle we should proceed- should
the useful in life, or should virtue, or should the higher
knowledge, be the aim of our training; all three opinions have been
entertained. Again, about the means there is no agreement; for
different persons, starting with different ideas about the nature of
virtue, naturally disagree about the practice of it.
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