The Presence of Platonic Philosophy in the New State Pedagogy

Author(s)

Tatiane da Silva

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2013-05-24

Examining board members

Marcus Vinicius da Cunha; Renato José de Oliveira; Vera Teresa Valdemarin

• Advisor: Marcus Vinicius da Cunha

Abstract

The Western thought was inaugurated over two thousand years ago by Plato, who created some peculiar forms to elaborate and solve philosophical problems, establishing discursive frameworks that are allowed by thinkers from diverse areas of knowledge, both in political and social field as well in education. Previous research analyzed the books The authoritarian state and national reality by Azevedo Amaral (1938), The National State by Francisco Campos (1941) and Trends of Brazilian education by Lourenço Filho (1940), which are considered as responsible for the criation and dissemination of theoretical basis of the pedagogy that prevailed during New State (1937-1945). The conclusions of that research noted that these authors sought argumentative support in Plato. The aim of this work is to review these books by means of Chaïm Perelmans rhetorical analysis, seeking to investigate the presence of Platonic discursive frameworks in the arguments of those authors. The first chapter discusses metaphor as argumentative strategy, showing that the authors established previously determined guidelines to define New State political and educational actions. The second chapter focuses dissociation of notions, which the authors use to argue about freedom in New State. The third chapter examines the link between act and person, with which the authors give exceptional personal characteristics to the ruler, thus justifying his actions in command of the Nation. The fourth chapter analyses definition, which is used by the authors to disqualify democracy and to praise New State qualities. The conclusions defend that the similarity between the discourses of the authors can be attributed to the presence of Platonic discursive frameworks in their arguments about politics and education; and that this presence is responsible by their alignment to a monistic conception of State. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/01058-7 - The presence of platonic philosophy in New State pedagogy
• Grantee: Tatiane da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master