Xenophon’s Theory of Moral Education

Xenophon the Athenian, who is well known both as a historian and as a witness of Socratic philosophy, developed his own systematic thought on moral education from a social and mainly political perspective in his extant works. His discourse on moral education represents the view of an unusual historical figure; an innovative thinker, as well as a man of action, a mercenary general and a world citizen in his age. As such, it is therefore different from the discourse of contemporary pure philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle. Furthermore, as a prolific author respected in both the classical world and the early modern era, Xenophon’s doctrine on moral education has had an extensive influence on the later development of European cultural history. This work explores the background and content of Xenophon’s thought on moral education, as well as its application in his literary composition. The analysis of these themes confirms that Xenophon actually established a theory of moral education in his extant corpus. On the one hand, his theory is less profound than that of Plato or Aristotle, but, on the other, it is original and innovative, and has been influential in the history of classical literature, and therefore deserves both serious investigation and our respect.