With the publication "On the Soul and Education," the trilogy of educational books serving the humanities is completed, with the first being "On Politics" and the second "On Man and Ethics." This series, a result of the collaboration between the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation and the European Foundation for the Promotion of Humanities, was the vision of the late professor Konstantinos I. Despotopoulos and aims to offer readers a comprehensible and clear picture of the evolution of ancient Greek thought on crucial issues that concern modern man.
Like the previous two, this volume includes excerpts from ancient Greek literature in the original, accompanied by translation and commentary. In the "On the Soul" section, texts are anthologized that were selected to highlight the concerns and views of ancient thinkers on the great subject of the soul: what is the soul, whether it is mortal or immortal, what parts it consists of, what its functions and properties are, whether all living beings possess a soul, the fate of the soul after the death of the body, and finally how, through the practice of philosophy and philosophical love, the soul is led to virtue, achieving true education.
Thus, the subject of the soul is connected to the subject of education, which is the focus of the second part "On Education." This second part is based on material selected and processed mainly by Konstantinos I. Despotopoulos. Unfortunately, his death did not allow for the completion of this section, which, although less extensive and thorough than the first, includes excerpts concerning important issues of education, as well as the personal views of the late academic on this great subject. The processing, additional explanations, and comments in this part of the book were made, with respect to the views and spirit of Konstantinos I. Despotopoulos, by his philologists and close collaborators Kyriaki Xyla and Polyanthi Tsigkou, who also had the general supervision of the publication.