The Academy
offers instruction in a wide range of scientific and philosophic
subjects, including astronomy, biology, mathematics, and political
science. Our aim is to increase your ability to live a life of contemplation,
not to train you for a career. However, we recently introduced a
practical course in rhetoric
for those students who wish to obtain a position in public life.
Faculty
Our teachers
are all distinguished scholars. Our founder, Plato, has written
and recited several groundbreaking philosophical dialogues,
or treatises told in dramatic form, for the Athenian philosophical
community. In addition, we are honored to have some of the most
renowned thinkers in the region. These include the philosopher and
mathematician Speusippus, who has made important contributions to
geometry, and Eudoxus of Cnidus, a mathematician and astronomer
who is currently studying the movement of the sun, moon, and other
planets.
Some advanced
students conduct their own classes. The most notable in this regard
is Aristotle, who
is called "the reader" because of his voracious appetite for knowledge.
Method of
Instruction
Students learn
in one of two ways: Teachers may lecture on a topic or teach using
the Socratic
method. This method consists of asking the class a question,
such as "What is courage?" It is then up to the students to debate
and discuss the question, thereby discovering the answer for themselves.
Teachers may guide the students by asking additional questions.
The use of the Socratic method is a unique element of the Academy
experience.
For application details, go to How to Apply.
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