Plato s Forms Essay

Submitted By snelley
Words: 1644
Pages: 7
Open Document
Plato’s Forms and The Ultimate Basis of Reality Plato, a philosopher that lived more than 2,400 years ago, has proven himself to be, as time has elapsed, one of the brightest men ever to inhabit the earth. Although it is not certain, it is believed that he was born a little over 400 years before Christ in ancient Greece. He was brought up in the home of a wealthy and influential family in Athens and his parents made sure that he got the best education money could buy. Before I discuss Plato further, it is critically important that we shed some light on the man he studied under, another incredible thinker famously known as Socrates. Plato believed Socrates had some tremendously remarkable thoughts about the world with regards, in particular, to the many questions he asked about ideas already established. Though almost all of the life and teachings of Socrates was undocumented, as he was never one to write anything down, we are able to learn about him through the work of his students. Many of Plato’s most recognized works, for instance, Euthyphro, Apology and the Republic, were written in the form of dialogues, each being a set up conversation between Socrates and one of his followers. They often began the same way with Socrates asking the person a sequence of questions. After they would give their answer, it was common for Socrates to again pose another question, thereby forcing them to think even deeper about the idea at hand. Although he was regarded as a brilliant man, his methods of constantly pointing out the ignorance of others not only gained him the reputation for being an annoyance, but it ultimately led to him being charged with, “corrupting the youth and failing to acknowledge the gods of Athens1,” which in turn, led to his execution.
It could be said that Plato picked up where Socrates left off before he died. Socrates would ask if it were possible for us as human beings to know the true nature of Virtue, of Good, of Justice, etc. And where many failed to thoroughly answer Socrates’ questions, Plato simply said yes, by means of what he famously refers to as his Theory of the Forms. This theory encompasses what is undoubtedly the most significant philosophical ideology Plato has ever come up with. Using this theory, Plato deems it possible to find the true being of virtue, good, justice, etc. or rather to find its form. From this, the idea of Metaphysics was created. Metaphysics itself is defined as a, “branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it, although the term is not easily defined2.” In short, Plato was the very first example of a metaphysical thinker. However, Socrates was not the only philosophical influence Plato used in formulating his ideas about the forms. Two examples of a handful of Pre Socratic thinkers whose ideas influenced those behind Plato’s forms are Parmenides of Elea and Pythagoras of Samos.
Parmenides of Elea was one of the first thinkers to inquire about the nature of Being and Truth. His one written work is a poem that he divides into three separate parts, the first being The Proem, the second The Way of Truth, and the third The Way of Opinion. In The Way of Truth, he makes it clear that there are only two ways to think about, what he refers to as, what is and what is not. “The one (way), that it is and it is impossible that ‘not-to-be’ is; The other that is not and that it is necessary that ‘not-to-be’ is (I.53 Parmenides, fr.2).” This idea, revolving around his premise, ‘it is,’ simply means that what is, is, and what is not could never be, since it is impossible for anything that is not to in fact exist. In our universe, air exists, water exists, humans exist etc. But what doesn’t exist, there are no examples for, since they never were nor will they be in existence. Although complex, it is a very genius notion. And although there are many different things that we can sense and think about, everything that is, is
Show More

Related Documents: Plato s Forms Essay

Machiavelli Plato Rebuplic Prince Comparison Essay

Haþim Cihan Demirköprülü, 20303433 Essay Question: Compare the Characteristics of the true guardians, as described by Plato (Republic, bk VII, pp.158 – 61, 484b – 487e) with the characteristics of the rulers, as described by Machiavelli (The Prince, ch.15, pp. 47 – 49 and ch. 18, pp.54f). What is the most important difference between the two accounts? In your view, which account is better, and why? For centuries, every ruler created their own principles and rules and somehow…

Words 1440 - Pages 6

Plato Presentation Paper

Cody Preble 10/5/14 COM 300 Presentation Paper: Plato Plato is one of the world’s best-known and most widely studied philosophers and intellectuals throughout history. Although very little is actually known about his life, which has forced scholars to construct most of his biography; with the help of his writings and the writings of other great philosophers and intellects. This has created a lot of controversy throughout the academic community, and scholars still debate whether all of Plato’s works…

Words 1774 - Pages 8

PHIL TermPaper

1 Gabriel Gonzalez Philosophical Explorations I Instructor Strellis Final Paper Plato’s “myth of the cave” In Book 7 of The Republic, Plato presents an interesting allegory known as “the myth of the cave.” In this myth, Socrates (Plato’s teacher) tells Glaucon to imagine a cave in which a group of people are chained and are forced to always face a wall at the back of the cave. A fire is burning behind these prisoners, and another group of people constantly walks back and forth…

Words 1577 - Pages 7

western civilization Essay

the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia are given credit for inventing the earliest style of writing. They started drawing pictures of goods on clay tablets, which became known as “cuneiform” writing. The ancient Egyptians also began to invent their own form of writing around the same period as the Sumerians. The writing was called “hieroglyphics”, similar to “cuneiform” writing; it used symbols to express one’s thoughts or ideas. The creation of writing was substantial in the revolution of information…

Words 1297 - Pages 6

Essay on Philosophy: Aristotle and Medical Knowledge

THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF PLATO THE LIFE Plato was born in 427 and died 347 BC. He had a wide knowledge of most of the pre-Socratics as he was influenced mostly by Socrates work, making him the main character of most of his writings. Plato had a deep interest in philosophy and in his early 30’s formed a philosophical school named after a Greek hero (the Academia) where the word Academy was derived from today, this Academy was functional for centuries till it was closed by Justinian the Emperor in…

Words 899 - Pages 4

Masculinity In The Film Rebel Without A Cause

During the time that film’s been around, it has been an art form; in which is a representation of society and the culture that engenders it. One of the most popular and critically applauded films of its time: Rebel Without a Cause, challenged the ideas of masculinity in a society and that was a pure reflection of many teenagers growing up in that generation. How exactly did Rebel Without a Cause change the perception of masculinity in society and why is the film considered to be the movie “poster…

Words 1097 - Pages 5

Thrasymachus Definition of Justice in Plato's Republic Essay

thoughts. The most interesting fragment is DK 85b8. It contains the claim that the gods do not care about human affairs since they do not seem to enforce justice. Scholars have, however, been divided whether this claim is compatible with the position Plato attributes to Thrasymachus in the first book of the Republic. Plato’s account there is by far the most detailed, though perhaps historically suspect, evidence for Thrasymachus’ philosophical ideas. In the first book of the Republic, Thrasymachus…

Words 1177 - Pages 5

Differences Between Idealism and Realism Essay

as observables, as opposed to instrumentalism. Leading proponents of Realism are Aristotle- father of realism Student of Plato, Francis Bacon, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Amos Comenius, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Thomas Aquinas. Thus to say to the Realism reality exists whether mind perceives it or not, in metaphysics reality composed of matter (body) and form (mind), knowledge comes through senses and in axiology values derived from nature. Assumptions put forward by the idealism…

Words 3220 - Pages 13

Essay Idealism in Education

in the East and to Plato in the West. Generally, Idealists believe that ideas are the true reality. According to them, the human spirit is the most important element in life. Matter is not real. It attaches great significance to the study of man and his mind. It maintains that the material and physical universe is subordinate to a higher type of reality, a spiritual universe. CHIEF EXPONENTS OF IDEALISM (I) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) The Videc Rishis of India Plato – (427-347 B.C) Kant…

Words 2944 - Pages 12

Ethics and Greek Philosopher Socrates Essay

born “good.” For instance, do you act morally because you feel internally compelled to do so (Mencius’s position) or because of social expectations, rewards, and penalties (Kao’s position)? Why? Reason 1 Idea (Penalties):But simply knowing what' s "right" isn' t enough. Lots of times we say to ourselves, "I know I shouldn' t do this, but I'm going to do it anyway." Take a case like this. You' re dating someone and have an explicit understanding that you won' t see anyone else. However, one day…

Words 967 - Pages 4