The main work of education is the shaping of human personality towards the development of sensitivity and intelligence, rational willpower, and solid morality—qualities that are essential for true freedom, this exquisite human gift. It is thus rightly called humanitarian education.

The primary concern of education is to mold the individual as worthy in and of themselves, making them capable of "living" and "living well," and therefore to cultivate their physical and mental dynamism with the formative power of the goods of culture.

The publication of "On the Soul and Education" completes the trilogy of educational books serving humanitarian education, with the first being "On Politics" and the second "On Man and Ethics." This series, the fruit of collaboration between the Educational Foundation of the National Bank and the European Foundation for the Promotion of Humanistic Education, was the vision of the late Professor Konstantinos I. Despotopoulos, aiming to provide readers with a comprehensible and clear image of the evolution of ancient Greek thought concerning pressing issues that concern modern humanity.

Like the two previous volumes, this one includes excerpts from works of ancient Greek literature in the original text alongside translations and commentaries. In the section "On the Soul," texts have been anthologized with the aim of highlighting the reflections and views of ancient thinkers on the great topic of the soul: what is the soul, is it mortal or immortal, from how many and what parts does it consist, what are its functions and properties, do all living beings have a soul, what is 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 guided to virtue—thus achieving true education.

Thus, the subject of the soul is connected with the subject of education, which forms 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 prevented the completion of this section, which, although it is less substantial and thorough than the first, includes excerpts concerning significant topics on education and personal views of the late Academic on this important theme.

The processing, additional explanations, and comments in this section of the book were carried out, with respect for the views and spirit of Konstantinos I. Despotopoulos, by his philologist colleagues and close collaborators Kyriaki Xyla and Polyhanthe Tsigkou, who also had overall supervision of the publication.