Department of History and Archaeology
Library of the School of Philosophy

2021-07-04

2021

Pavlakaki Vasiliki

Σοφία Μεργιαλή-Σαχά, αναπληρώτρια καθηγήτρια, Ιστορία και Αρχαιολογία, ΕΚΠΑ
Τριανταφυλλίτσα Μανιάτη-Κοκκίνη, επίκουρη καθηγήτρια, Ιστορία και Αρχαιολογία, ΕΚΠΑ
Αθανάσιος Μαρκόπουλος, ομότιμος καθηγητής, Φιλολογία, ΕΚΠΑ
Αντωνία Κιουσοπούλου, καθηγήτρια, Ιστορία και Αρχαιολογία, ΕΚΠΑ
Κατερίνα Νικολάου, αναπληρώτρια καθηγήτρια, Ιστορία και Αρχαιολογία, ΕΚΠΑ
Μαρίνα Λουκάκη, καθηγήτρια, Φιλολογία, ΕΚΠΑ
Γεράσιμος Μέριανος, κύριος ερευνητής, ΕΙΕ/ΙΒΕ

Μορφωτικά ιδεώδη και κύκλοι της διανόησης κατά την εποχή των Κομνηνών και των Αγγέλων (1081-1204)

Greek

Educational Ideals and Intellectual Circles during the Period of the Komnenoi and the Angeloi (1081-1204)

In the present doctoral dissertation entitled Educational Ideals and Intellectual Circles during the Period of the Komnenoi and the Angeloi (1081-1204), various aspects of that period’s intellectual life are investigated. The research is focused on the intellectual circles, which influenced – to a greater or to a lesser extent - the intellectual and political life, and advocated heterogeneous educational ideals.
The intellectual life during the period of the Komnenoi and the Angeloi was defined by the rise and fall of two dynasties, which were dominated by a spirit of change, that, however, was not enough either for the whole arrangement of the existing problems and changes within the State or for the effective confrontation of the challenges on the three open fronts that dominated the international scene. The intellectual life unfolded in this environment, which was inextricably linked to politics. The various literary, theological, and scientific pursuits were overshadowed by the strongly ideological orientation of much of the period’s writing production and by the intense efforts to strengthen family alliances during the period that nepotism was in its apogee. The fact of the penetration of the political element into aspects of social and intellectual life, which were intertwined with the ideals of military aristocracy and the emperor’s image, with the education and with the interests and aspirations of the aristocratic circles, raises only questions about the existence or not of a form of intellectual renaissance. The stimulation of activity of the persons-carriers of intellectual life and the compilation of multitude literary works that covered the wider fields of knowledge are not necessarily samples of a society that experiences some form of intellectual flourishing. Instead they reveal the desire to fulfil basic educational needs and especially the accomplishment of various political aspirations.
The promotion of Alexius’ educational initiatives could only superficially mark the beginnings of an intellectual prosperity. Absolutely harmonized with the imperial aspirations were the writers-defenders of the Orthodox faith, who, echoing the official state and ecclesiastical policy, acted as the emperor’s and the patriarch’s alter ego. The promoted superiority of theology, which was connected with the cautious attitude towards philosophy, was equivalent to defending an educational ideal under conditions and restrictions.
On the opposite side there was another intellectual circle that was active in the intellectual and political scene expressing centrifugal tendencies and remaining outside the boundaries of the dominant intellectual circles. The overcoming of the imposed barriers lies in the non-adoption of the writing habits of the whole intellectual world, in the acceptance of the transcendental role of secular sciences, in the attempt to make philosophy autonomous and in the formulation of theories that deviated from the official dogma. Thus, an educational ideal emerged free from any form of restrictive policy.
The next intellectual circle is traced within the educational system. The teacher-centered system, the sterile transmission of practical and standardized knowledge, and the professional aspirations of teachers for higher pay, more prestige and public recognition, set aside the ideals of the true essence of education, giving priority to the utilitarian education reflecting everyday realistic needs of the period. Education therefore emerged as a material force.
On the border line there was a fourth educational ideal, which was essentially not the rule but the exception. The innate need for teaching, the tendency to educate young people, the emergence of the need to pass on the intellectual heritage to later generations and the transcendence of selfish economic and practical interests and personal ambitions, advocate the defence of education as intangible and superior spiritual good.
The convergence and divergence points of the four basic intellectual circles lie not only in the peculiar composition of each group of persons of different professional and social origins but also in the emergence of heterogeneous educational ideals, which defined a certain stage in their lives and were still directly intertwined with various political, cultural, social and professional factors. Although the dominant characteristic of the intellectual life was given by the writers-defenders of the Orthodox faith and the teachers, all the educational ideals coexisted and reflected both the heterogeneous and multifaceted nature of the activities of the intellectual world, as well as the various conceptual nuances of education.

History

educational ideals, intellectual circles, education, intellectual life, Komnenoi and Angeloi, Byzantine Empire

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Yes

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https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/2948644