Nature, education and civilization: a historical perspective

Abstract

To establish a relationship between the conceptions of human nature, education and civilization is the mains purpose of the present article. For that, and considering the comprension of the subject, it was made the option of making some historical/thematic outlines, so as to resume a discussion which is always pertinent, especially in face of current educational proposals. To develop this subjecxt, the article was divided into three sections presenting the conceptions of the human nature and its relations with education and civilization in the Classic Antiquity, in the Christian thinking of the Middle Age and in the beginning of the Capitalism. For the Classic Antiquity, Plato and Aristotle were used; from the Christian thinking, Saint Augustine ans saint Thomas Aquinas were cited; and from the emerging nurgher, Hobbes and Rousseau were retrieved.