...Plato's Theory of Forms Plato was a Greek philosopher, one of the most important figures of the Ancient Greek world and the entire history of Western Philosophy. Plato wrote about many ideas in philosophy that are still talked about today. His writings explored justice, beauty and equality, and also contained discussions in aesthetics, political philosophy, theology, cosmology, epistemology and the philosophy of language. He was fascinated of the distinction between ideal forms and everyday experience. Plato was a student of Socrates and he thougth that Socrates has a pretty good ideas about the world, particulary when he came to his method of asking questions about established ideas. Since we know that Socrates wrote nothing down everything that we know about him comes in the form of dialogues written by Plato. Plato thinks that there is an explanaition for questions and he can answer "what is virtue ?" or "what is justice ?". Plato comes up with idea of answering these questions, with the Theory of Forms - the most imporant philosophical concept. Plato used his Theory of Forms to link the mind and reality. He taught that the real world consisted of universal ideas (forms). The world that people actually see is given form by these ideas and is thus less real because it is always changing, but the forms are eternal and unchangeable. Plato’s Theory of Forms states, that the physical world is not really the ‘real’ world, instead, ultimate reality exists beyond our physical...
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...The Theory of the Forms is also seen as unconvincing as it is highly abstract. Therefore it is too incomprehensible to see the way in which these detached Forms can be practical or have significance in the real world as they are too distant. Even if they do exist, do they have a practical function? Can they help humans make decisions about practical matters? In addition very few people will obtain knowledge of the good therefore can the Forms realistically be understood and accepted by all? In this way the Theory is not convincing as it leaves many basic questions unanswered. We are also to question whether there are Forms for everything, from a stone to a lampshade. Plato rarely discusses physical and material objects but more Forms of concepts such as Justice. While he does mention the Form of a bed in The Republic, we are uncertain as to whether this was a serious remark, some even think it was a joke. Furthermore Plato does not clearly explain the link between the World of Forms and that of Appearances, how do they connect? Furthermore we question how general the Forms are. Is there a Form for every breed of horse or just a general Form of a horse? If a Form is a general idea then there is a risk that it lacks detail. However if every breed has a Form then surely the Form loses it's point. One could argue that every breed of horse has enough in common to reflect to some extent the Form of a horse. Again this may not be an issue for Plato if the Theory of Forms applies...
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...their different perspectives of the Theory of Forms. Plato was one of Socrates’ students and he believed in idealism. Plato’s metaphysics which is also referred to as the Theory of Forms explains that there are two sides of the world of Forms. One of them is separated from the reality and one of them is the reality of the world. (Moore, pg 38) Aristotle was Plato’s student and he disagree with Plato’s believes. He was the first philosopher to explain what existence and essence is (Moore, pg. 63). One of Aristotle’s strongest arguments against the Theory of Forms was his Third Man argument. He explains that there must be a third thing or person to tires together a Form (Moore, pg. 65). Plato and Aristotle have excellent views of Theory of Forms and the Third Man argument; however there are points I agree and disagree with. Plato was one of the most important philosophers. Plato spends most of his life living in Greek. He was the first metaphysics thinker Theory of forms was one of Plato most important idea. He believed that we are living in two worlds; the world of appearances and the world of ideas. The appearances world is the world we are living in where we can touch and see around us. Our senses help us guide us in the visible world. In the ideas world, we can only sense it with our thinking. The intelligible world is in our mind, we control what the intelligible world looks like. The material world is a shadow of the real world of the form. Therefore according to Plato we...
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...Plato's Middle Period Metaphysics and Epistemology 1.0. The Background to Plato’s Metaphysics The author Silverman, Allan (2014) of this article titled Plato’s Middle Period Metaphysics and Epistemology wrote about how Plato first began to annotate his own points on metaphysics and epistemology. As we all knew, Plato’s definition of things are heavily influenced by his teachers Heraclitus (c.540 B.C.-480-70) Parmenides (c.515 B.C.-449-40) and especially Socrates (470 B.C-399). However only remnants of the writings of Heraclitus and Parmenides and also nothing left of Socrates. The only evidence that we ever had is Plato’s depiction of his teacher that is the dialog he wrote in his writings about Socrates’s views. Sometimes, it is as if it was Socrates’s writing not Plato because of the many things about Socrates he wrote. Some had said that it was his own views but instead he used Socrates as the speaker. This article also wrote about Plato’s predecessors’ views of the concept that influences his definition of Metaphysics and Epistemology which are Being and Forms. Firstly, Parmenides which he said there is one and only in this world and that is being. The truth is it never change and will never be. Sadly, there is not much we could conclude from Parmenides’s point of view. His concept of being has become Plato’s based of doctrine of Forms. As contrast to Parmenides’s definition of physical world, Heraclitus is the advocate of change. He said that the ordinary objects...
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...Plato’s The Realm of The Forms, found in his dialogue ‘The Republic’ is a theory with many criticisms formed of it. I would agree that there are many flaws to Plato’s Theory of The Forms. Although there have been many philosophers defending his theory, I would still argue that the weaknesses outweigh these counter arguments, and that these criticisms are definitely valid. Some may try to defend criticisms posed in Parmenides by Plato himself, that the Theory of The Forms is ambiguous and lacking in detail on issues such as how detailed the forms are. They may argue that for mundane things such as bus tickets, Plato was ambiguous on these as he was primarily interested in metaphysical thinking, rather than concentrating on the material world. They may also defend the lack of explanation on forms of the bad, in that there is no form of the bad, just that there is a lack of good. I however would argue that these are both very weak defences, as using Plato’s ideas and arguments in support of Plato’s theory is extremely unconvincing. Also as the real world is a reflection of the realm of The Forms, why is there a lack of good in this material world? I would argue that the criticism in Parmenides is a very valid one, as i struggle to find any weaknesses to this criticism. Additionally, I would argue that Aristotle’s analysis of the theory of The Forms in his works Metaphysics is very valid as well. This is a very strong argument in that it highlights the ambiguity of Plato’s...
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...Explain Plato’s analogy of the cave. Plato’s cave analogy of the cave it this because it is a simple story that has a metaphorical meaning. Plato uses this analogy to show the link between the physical world and the world of forms. Plato thinks that this analogy helps people to understand why the physical world is all an illusion. Only true reality can be found in the world of forms, in which everything is unchanging. Plato’s analogy is set in a cave, the cave is meant to represent the physical world, from which people only see what Plato describes to be an illusion. The prisoners within the cave know of nothing but what they have seen for all their lives. Behind the prisoners are a low wall and a walkway, in the walkway a fire burns, every now and then people walk past the fire carrying objects that reflect into the cave as shadows. The prisoners see the shadows and think that what they see is reality, like we think about our world now. The sounds made by the people walking past are thought to be from the shadows, what is seen and herd here is thought to be real. The shadows represent the images of the forms, which are all that is seen in the physical world. The prisoners in this case represent the ignorant individuals who need to discover the philosophical truth; they believe that the shadows they see are the real objects because they know of nothing else. Plato relates this to the 5 senses, touch, taste, smell, sound and sight, it is easy for people to believe what...
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...a) Explain Plato’s Theory of Forms Plato’s Theory of Forms is similar to many other beliefs about the world. For instance, Heraclitus’ notion was that we see a world of perception in constant flux of which we have no true knowledge, while Zeno believed that we can see a static unchanging world and it can be grasped through reason. Plato’s theory is strongly based on what is real and what is not. What is real is thought to be perfect, but something cannot be real or perfect if it is transient. He explains that the World of Forms is very different to the World of Shadows. The World of Forms can only be properly understood by philosophers and those who seek knowledge, not by the ignorant or those who do not wish to learn the truth. The Theory of Forms makes a distinction between those objects that are real and those that are only real in our minds. His dialogues, like the Allegory of the Cave, portray knowledge as the process of leaving the cave and going into the sunlight. The people in the cave find their reality in the shadows cast in the cave and assume there can never be anything beyond these shadows. These shadows symbolise how the world that we see is just a shadow or reflection of what is real. For Plato, the real world is not what we see around us, it is only the World of Forms that is real. Plato believes there are two distinct realms of existence which exists simultaneously. This approach to the two different worlds is know as dualism. The world we live in is...
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...Practical Philosophy November 2001 Plato’s theory of Love: Rationality as Passion Lydia Amir 'I … profess to understand nothing but matters of love.' Socrates in Plato’s Symposium. times, when due to their education and to political changes, women earned the right to love and to be loved as equals to men. When one dispels these misunderstandings related to the popular notion of Platonic love, one finds a great richness and depth in Plato’s theory of love. In explaining why love is so important to us and yet why it fails us so often, Plato’s view of love seems applicable to our time. It is common knowledge that a very high rate of divorce threatens our marriages. We expect a lot from the sexual passion we call love, but usually end up disappointed when the romance goes away. Yet we keep getting married, thinking that we are going to be the ones that will beat the system. If we fail, we change our partner and try again. We end up our love life as we began it, confused, afraid and as disappointed as we were hopeful. The malaise that characterises our love lives naturally finds its way to the philosophical consulting room. In this paper I shall attempt to show how Plato’s view of love can be helpful both in dispelling our confusion about love and in proposing some solutions to our suffering. A comprehensive account of Plato’s complex theory of love, an exhaustive presentation of the controversies involved in interpreting it or a thorough discussion of the problems it creates...
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...The Greek philosopher Plato’s concept of philosophy entails it as a process in which there is constant questioning and the process of questioning is done by way of dialogues. The dialogues through which he represents his thoughts conclusively have no definite point of justification, instead they end in a way that raises questions in the mind of the reader making him/her think for themselves, rather than putting a definitive conclusion of logic. Some of the dialogues that do reach a conclusion are not simple statements of facts. Instead, they end up in doubts, casting parallel counterarguments on the doubts and their possibilities. Plato’s...
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...one containing forms which was the world of ideas which he the world of the forms. Forms are the general realities or ideals versions of something. Forms in Plato’s eyes where perfect versions of something, and in the world of the appearances they are many particulars which have copies or impact versions which imitate the perfect version of the form. The world of the forms is an epistemology which can only be used by tapping into the intelligible world without using your senses. For example in the world appearances they are many types of cats but in the world of the forms there is only one perfect version of that cat. Plato’s analogy of the cave is a way to interpret Plato theory of the forms and his idea about the universe. Plato’s analogy begins with the prisoners sat in the cave, chained together, and facing a wall preventing them to see or to gain any movement: a fire blazes behind them and on the other side of a passage way. Along the pass way men carrying statues and talking casting shadows on the wall which the prisoners face which made the prisoners it is a puppet because that is all they have seen all their life. When a prisoner escapes the cave, he realises that the shadows casted are real people and that they is another world with a sun outside which at first he is blinded by. When he returns to tell the others prisoners what he had seen they do not want to leave the cave and say they will kill anyone who leaves the cave again. There are symbols in Plato’s analogy of the...
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...Running head: PLATO’S INFINATE Plato’s Infinite Wisdom Student Paper February 23rd, 2008 The University of Montana-Western Plato’s Infinite Wisdom Plato was, and remains a very influential and relevant Greek philosopher that lived between (427 and 347 B.C.E) (Stevenson and Haberman, 2004). Plato was extremely diverse and accomplished in his lifetime achievements. His rise to fame began as a student of the great philosopher Socrates, but progressed into many other dignified positions. He is accredited with teaching another great philosopher and scientist named Aristotle, who later taught Alexander the Great. Plato also founded the worlds’ first formal university in Athens called The Academy (Brickhouse, 2006). Plato’s philosophical research was far deeper than anything previously explored and transcends 2500 years without losing modern applicability. His vast writings began with the study of human nature, ethics, morals, knowledge, and progressed into complex theories on reality, dualism, government and the human soul. The most famous of these dialogues, The Republic, but later works like The Laws and The Statesman are equally impressive. Plato believed education, knowledge, and truth were essential for society to become moral and just. The outcome of successful societies was stability and peace. Personally, Plato believed in a spiritual gain given to those who succeed, but his theories were not based on personal beliefs like the widely disputed and...
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...meanings and implications that it left me hanging clueless. The best I could do was simply read great philosopher's writings on theory of knowledge and attempt to get a grasp on the fundamentals of epistemology. One of those great minds were Plato, the ancient greek, the epitome of western philosophy whose ideologies still stands tall up to this date. In Theaetetus, Plato succeeds in proving the Dream Theory of knowledge to be false, yet does not to give his own definition of knowledge. Where as in the Republic, during constructing Kallipolis, Plato discusses knowledge, and expresses his explicit views on epistemology. After careful inspection of Plato's two different ideas on the nature of knowledge, I was able to come up with my own definition of knowledge and suggest the possibility to know what knowledge is. As a matter of process, my theory of knowledge is heavily influenced by both of Plato's works. In Theaetetus, Plato makes an logical approach to identify the nature of knowledge. In the early pages of Theaetetus, Plato introduces Dream Theory which defines knowledge as "knowledge of x is true belief of x with an account of x". Dream Theory is based on the hypothesis that there are two types of...
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...Gradiene S. Tandoc Mariah Janey Vicente PLATO’S WORKS and WRITINGS Plato wrote extensively and most of his writings survived. His works are in the form of dialogues, where several characters argue a topic by asking questions of each other. Why do you think Plato choose this form of writing (dialogue)? These may be the possible reasons: 1. This form allows Plato to raise various points of view and let the reader decide which is valid. 2. The use of character and conversation allowed Plato to awaken the interest of his readers and therefore to reach a wider audience. 3. The dialogue form allows Plato's evident interest in pedagogical questions (how is it possible to learn? what is the best way to learn? from what sort of person can we learn? what sort of person is in a position to learn?) to be pursued not only in the content of his compositions but also in their form. 4. Plato evidently enjoys creating a sense of puzzlement among his readers, and the dialogue form is uniquely suited to this goal. CHRONOLOGY The exact order in which Plato's dialogues were written is not known, nor is the extent to which some might have been later revised and rewritten. However, there is enough information internal to the dialogues to form a rough chronology. The dialogues are normally grouped into three fairly distinct periods, with a few of them considered transitional works. The generally agreed upon modern ordering is as follows: early, middle, and late dialogues...
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...type of justice being served. 7. Zeno’s paradoxes were regarded as trivial by those who came after him. 8. The aim of the “two rows” or “blocks” paradox is to show that motion is impossible. 9. Parmenides argues that there is one fundamental kind of change. 10. The Milesians adopt a common strategy, differing only in how they carry it out. * 1. On Plato’s view, a shadow of a feather is more real than the feather. 2. Plato’s metaphysical ideas can be summed up in the phrase “seeing is believing.” 3. Plato says that there are some things that last forever. 4. The parable of the cave illustrates the way Plato understands the learning process. 5. Plato’s line in the simile of the line is divided into four equal parts. 6. The shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave represent the forms. 7. A realist believes that there are mind-independent entities, while an idealist does not. 8. Plato is a realist. 9. Forms are the entities that Plato believes to exist, and this is why he should be considered a realist. 10. Plato’s solution to the problem of change might be seen as resolving a conflict between the Milesians and the Eleatics. * * Presocratics page 90-everything is water * `Passage 85 * part c-relate to problem of change Page 145 * Passage 141-eveything is air- “infinite air was the principle,...
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...Plato’s Analogy of the Cave(10 marks) Plato’s analogy of the cave is a complex story to do with his theory of the forms. It is a symbolic story which gives a vague illustration of the forms and how we as humans are all ignorant to the truth. It’s a story in which prisoners, representing the human race, are all chained to chairs. The chains represent our ignorance to the true forms and the chairs are our tendency to stay with what we find familiar and comfortable. The people are chained facing a wall so that they can only look ahead of them. There is a light in the cave which comes from a fire. The fire is what is used to create fake “form” shadows which the people believe are real. The shadows represent the politics, human culture and superstitious beliefs. One of the prisoners is freed, this one prisoner is seen as a potential philosopher however they have to be dragged away from the shadows as they still believe the shadows are reality and they don’t want to leave what’s comfortable to them and venture into the unknown. The person who frees the prisoner is a representation of a true philosopher, possibly Plato himself. This person recognises the illusion of the cave and wants to educate those who are still trapped in the illusion. This idea could come from Plato’s belief that philosophers should govern society as they are completely motivated by their wisdom and selflessness. After the prisoner is freed he is dragged up through the cave past the people who are making...
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