Education is a highly debated topic: Investment in education is essential, it is considered a personal characteristic, as well as an important economic asset. Education is a term that comes up in discussions about significant future issues. However, anyone who is professionally involved in this field or simply wants to competently follow current educational debates should be able to differentiate the often vaguely used concept of education more precisely. This introduction to the theory of education brings order to the variety of terms and provides the reader with a clear and understandable overview - from Plato to Schwanitz. With its connection of educational philosophy and empirical educational research, this introduction is also a historically systematic contribution to current discourses on education. Such an introduction is unique in Germany.