Abstract
In her paper, Zuzana Svobodová focuses on the concept of paideia and its transformations in the history of education. She compares the objectives of education in the works of Plato, Aristotle and other prominent personalities in the development of the theory of education as well as the objectives of education in the current official EU documents on education.
Tensions between civil education and religious education will be shown with the help of specific historic examples with the aim of demonstrating the necessity of a philosophical approach towards the theory of education and the need of philosophical education itself. As an example taken from practice, the Ethics and Religious Education in European Schools (Schola Europaea) project is analysed.
The author is convinced that the concept of paideia is based on radical openness, which may be twofold: on the one hand, an openness of the educator/teacher (educator) and the one who is educated, while on the other hand, their ability to dialogically listen to what enables the very fact of dialogue. This is why she considers it crucial that educators and teachers be led to the essence of philosophy of education as part of their professional training.