Whither Paideia? Reading Arendt and Rancière Together on Education as a Democratic Practice

This study delves into the complex relationship between democracy and education by examining the perspectives of Hannah Arendt and Jacques Rancière. Both thinkers, while sharing an anti-Platonic stance, offer distinct approaches to understanding the role of education in democracy. Arendt, drawing inspiration from Socrates, emphasizes the critical gap between the creative force of natality innate to children and the inherent plurality of the public realm and concludes that education and politics must be kept separate for the protection of the former. For Rancière, on the other hand, it is not Socrates but the “ignorant schoolmaster” to whom one should turn as the inspiration for democratic education. He denounces the Socratic maieutic and instead argues for the "equality of intelligence" and the democratization of knowledge. By analyzing their divergent yet complementary views on the Socratic paideia, this study explores how education can foster critical thinking, challenge hierarchical structures, and ultimately contribute to realizing equality as the democratic ideal.