A Close Look at The Positive and Negative Side of Spartan Education

Education in Sparta

Did you know that in Sparta, when a child was born, if the “inspectors” were not satisfied that the child was strong enough, then they were left outside to die (Document A)? This is the start of education in Sparta. If you die, you lose. But if you can survive that first part of Spartan life, then you’re pretty much good to go Right? ...Wrong! If you were born in the militarily strong city-state called Sparta, being left out on the road to die was only one of the tough challenges you must face, with many more to come. So, with all this about being killed before you are even old enough to speak, did the privilege of being in the city-state with the strongest military outweigh ,or counter, the weaknesses of Spartan Education? Some examples of weaknesses outweighing strengths are as follows:

First, even if Sparta had the strongest military, they didn’t do anything with all the land they won, they only raised more soldiers. What makes a good city-state is how the people are treated. So Sparta goes out and wins all those battles, only to raise more soldiers. The people are taught to be soldier “slaves” and they don’t even know how to enjoy life.

Next, At age seven, a Spartan boy was removed from his family and put in an agoge, a state-controlled education(Document A). They don’t even get to be with their family in the agoge. By the time a spartan boy would be old enough to leave the agoge, they would have most likely forgotten what their family looked like, or ever forgotten their family all together! This is bad because many times in life, one needs their family for comfort and help. I don’t know how Spartans were able to live without knowing their families.

Finally, they were taught that life was all about war and killing. Even their music and songs were used for promoting war.(Document D). Reading, writing, were taught the bare minimum, only enough so that they would be able to give and take orders in battle. Math and science were not even taught at all! The government also did not permit any plays or performances in the fear of people realizing how bad their government is. This is a very bad sign because if the government knows that what they are doing is wrong, then it shows how the government doesn’t care about their people.

Overall, the weaknesses outweighed the strengths in Spartan education, because all they did was take children away from their families, brainwashed into thinking that life is about war and killing, and overall treated awfully.