Relations among labor division, social class and education in ancient times and it’s repercussions in the present

Abstract

The connections between labor division and social classes can be found through humanity’s history. It’s considered that these connections have profound implications regarding education. Therefore, this article aims to reflect about the historical character of the domination and power relations linked to the working environment, which define the social antagonism between masters and workers (that formed the two main social classes), therefore, the ideas and education of each social development period. Based on Adorno and Horkheimer’s (1985) considerations about the Odysseus myth and his encounter with the sirens, registered in Homer’s Odyssey, is established a debate about the sometimes stern, sometimes dim, division between the productive/manual and intellectual/spiritual labors, in ancient times, these conditions reverberate to this day.