Paideia Guide: Understanding Paideia Educational Philosophy

The term paideia refers to the fundamentals of education set forth by thought leaders in Ancient Greek society. Paideia principles set a pedagogical standard for creating well-rounded citizens of society, addressing areas of a person’s mental, physical, social, and moral improvement starting in youth. Paideia-based education typically refers to a curriculum that combines the liberal arts (including literature, rhetoric, history, and philosophy) with science and arithmetic.

Following paideia meant a high degree of excellence could be possible. Under paideia, individuals were trained in various aspects of life to receive a full education, making them moral and valuable contributors to their society, which could only benefit the community as a whole. Paideia has influenced public and private education, both during parochial school and in higher education.

In Ancient Greece, paideia established the general course of education that people would learn, starting in childhood (which later expanded to include adults). The Greek aristocracy originally carried out Paideia. Individuals within this class were expected to study subjects like geography, astronomy, ethics, music, poetry, literature, and other areas of liberal arts, while also training their bodies with physical activities like gymnastics and wrestling.

Through paideia, people striving for individual excellence would improve the functioning of the community (or “polis”) in order to benefit the common good. Paideia was considered a value that could not be taken from the individual, such as other tangible properties like wealth or physical goods. Displays like the Olympic Games, which were invented in Greece, speak to the superlative idea of “arête” (or excellence) which was achieved through paideia.

Paideia has had a large influence on the way many elementary, middle, and high schools structure and implement their learning curriculums today. Educational reform prioritizing the interdisciplinary education of paideia (as a mixture of liberal arts along with science and mathematics) forms the general basis of the high school and elementary school curriculums in many modern countries, including the United States.

One of the modern philosophers who pioneered the implementation of paideia in public education is philosopher Mortimer J. Adler. By the 1980s, Adler and a group of scholars published The Paideia Proposal, which criticized the educational systems of the west and introduced the Paideia Program as a means to start reforming education.

Adler believed that all students should have access to the same quality education, which would set them up to be the best citizens they could be. The paideia group argued that it was important to incorporate didactic instruction (lectures), proper coaching to foster learning skills, as well as Socratic questioning during seminar discussions. By 1988, The National Paideia Center was formed, which still maintains its focus of giving students a more rigorous and well-rounded education.

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