These two great philosophers were born in diverse time frames. Plato was born to an aristocratic family in Athens in 428 BCE. Augustine was born on November 13, 354 CE, in Tagaste, Numidia. .
In 387 Plato founded the Academy in Athens, the institution often described as the first European university. This proves that Plato was very interested in higher education, as was Augustine. Plato's school provided a comprehensive curriculum, including such subjects as astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory, and philosophy. .
Plato and Augustine were polar opposites when it came to the existence of God. Augustine's distinctive theory was that God created all things out of nothing. This was in contrast to Plato's account of the world which was not "created" but came about when the Demiurge combined the Forms and the receptacle, which always existed independently. Plato conceived the Forms as arranged hierarchically; the supreme Form is the Form of the Good, which, like the sun in the myth of the cave, illuminates all the other Ideas. Ultimately, Plato's theory of Forms is intended to explain how one comes to know and also how things have come to be as they are. Augustine's doctrine stood between the extremes of Pelagianism and Manichaeism. Against Pelagian doctrine, he held that human spiritual disobedience had resulted in a state of sin that human nature was powerless to change. In his theology, men and women are saved by the gift of divine grace; against Manichaeism he vigorously defended the place of free will in cooperation with grace.
Plato and Augustine were very different individuals in their philosophical beliefs. Plato was very focused on natural things, while Augustine was more religious and focused on spiritual things. They were alike in the respect that they were both very intellectual people that had great admiration of higher education. .
Aristotle and Aquinas:.
Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 CE, and was very interested in education in his youth.
