愛的教育 ——柏拉圖《費德羅》詮釋

Abstract

本文以教育作為詮釋《費德羅》的切入點，說明古希臘從男童戀教育遞嬗至智者教育的脈絡，並闡釋柏拉圖對此二種教育型態的批判，及由此批判發展而來的教育思想。古希臘傳統上以愛慾（ἔρως）作為教育基礎，貴族階級發展出的男童戀文化（παιδεραστία）鼓勵成人與青年男性建立親密關係，以促成青年知識與德性提升。進入到民主化時代，智者的崛起取代了男童戀教育的實踐，教育不再以愛慾為基礎，轉變為金錢與知識的交易關係。 本文將論證，《費德羅》柏拉圖區分了人性與神性的愛慾，人性愛慾注重身體慾望或社會利益的汲取，缺乏對善的正確理解，只要成人對青年的關懷出乎於此，便無法使男孩得到德性的提升。哲學家一方面抨擊傳統男童戀以德性教育證成身體情慾的滿足，另方面揭示智者教育亦淪喪為世俗慾望的附庸。神性愛慾則是奠基於無私、對靈魂之美的愛，成年者為了善待青年、使其身上最美好的潛能被實現出來，將會節制自身情慾，從而激發出德性與知識。人類作為愛慾的存有，應以智思作為靈魂整體的統御者，整合社會性與身體性的愛慾，使激情投向智思對真實存有的追求。由於關注青年靈魂，成年者將意識到自身靈魂最完滿的樣貌，即以理智把握真實存有，並將對後輩的情感轉化為友誼，以身教與言教引導學子朝向德性與知識。 為了面對不同學子而達到教育目的，柏拉圖糾正並發展了傳統修辭技藝的內涵，建立以言說導引靈魂的哲學修辭學。德性與知識的獲取，並非透過僵固的信念灌輸，而是來自於智思的積極活動，因此，教育應當屏棄教條式的言說模式，以辯證式言說引發學生的參與及自我反思，刺激學生檢驗自身慾望與信念，使其智思亦成為靈魂的統御者。是以，柏拉圖的愛之教育，既意味著實現以人際友愛為目標的教育關係，同時代表對靈魂愛慾的認識與引導，促進人對真理的渴望，並以此作為生命的嚮導。

This thesis interprets Plato's Phaedrus through the lens of education. Before Plato, there were two models of education in Greece, the pederastic (παιδεραστία) and the sophistic. Phaedrus elucidates Plato's critique of these two educational models while presenting his own philosophy of education based on that critique. In ancient Greek tradition, erotic love (ἔρως) was the foundation of education. The aristocratic practice of pederasty encouraged intimate relationships between adults and young males to foster the latter's growth in knowledge and virtue. With the advent of democracy, the rise of the sophists replaced pederastic education. Education thus shifted from being based on erotic love to become a transactional exchange of money and knowledge. In the Phaedrus, Plato distinguishes between human and divine eros. Human eros focuses on physical desire or social advantage, lacking a proper understanding of the good. As long as the adults' concern for youths stems from such motives, they fail to promote the boys' virtue. Philosophers, on the one hand, criticize traditional pederasty for justifying physical desires under the guise of virtue, and on the other hand, reveal that sophistic education also caters to worldly desires. Divine eros, however, is rooted in selfless love for the soul's beauty. Adults, aiming to benefit the youth and help them achieve their highest potential, ought to restrain their own desires, thus incubating virtue and knowledge of their own. As beings conditioned by eros, humans should employ reason as the sovereign of the soul, integrating social and physical desires, in order to direct passions toward the pursuit of true beings through intellect. By being devoted to the soul of the youth, the adult comes to realize that pursuit to the fullest in his own soul. Subsequently, his affection for the youth transforms into friendship, guiding students towards virtue and knowledge through their own exemplary conduct and the pedagogy of λόγος. To attain educational objectives for a varied student body, Plato corrects and develops the traditional art of rhetoric, establishing a philosophical rhetoric aimed at guiding the soul through λόγος. Since education aims to enable individuals to acquire knowledge and virtue, it cannot arise from rigid indoctrination, but rather from active engagement of the intellect. Therefore, educators should abandon dogmatic speech in favor of dialectical discourse, enabling students to engage in participation and self-reflection. This prompts them to examine their desires and beliefs, ultimately empowering intellect the ruler of the soul. In sum, Plato’s erotic paideia signifies both the establishment of an educational relationship aimed at interpersonal friendship, and the understanding and guidance of the soul's eros, which nurture a desire for truth as the guiding principle of life.