Greek Philosophy : Plato

Dr. Kerem EksenITU

• Socrates’ pupil• The first philosopher who built complex

theories about various branches of philosophy

• He wrote mostly in dialogue form• Socrates appears as the main protagonist

in most of his dialogues

Plato

• Plato’s early dialogues• They are believed to reflect certain

characteristics of Socrates’ own personality and worldview.

• They are open-ended. Socrates does not present any positive theory.

• The goal is to show the interlocutor that he does not know what he claims to know.

• Usually the Socratic, “dialectical” method [elenkhos] is used.

Plato’s “Socratic” Dialogues

Socrates’ dialectical method:

Socrates asks: “What is X?” The interlocutor proposes a definition Socrates asks questions The interlocutor, guided by Socrates,

reaches a conclusion that is opposite to his initial definition

Failure

Plato’s “Socratic” Dialogues

A typical example of Socratic dialogue

Initial question: “What is piety?”Euthyphro: “To prosecute the wrongdoer.” (5d)Socrates: “This is not a definition. This is an example!”

Euthyphro

What is a definition?Socrates:

“What I urged you to do wasn’t to teach me about one or two of the

many pieties [= pious actions], but rather about the form itself, by virtue of which all the pieties are pious.” (Euthyphro, 6d)

A definition should give us the “form”, i.e. what makes a thing what it is.

Throughout the rest of the dialogue, Euthyphro makes four attempts, but each time he fails.

In Plato’s later works (ex. Republic), this idea of definition will evolve to his famous “theory of forms”.

Euthyphro

- Plato’s most famous work- Socrates is Plato’s spokesman. - Not a “Socratic” dialogue, since there is a

positive theory that Plato (through Socrates’ character) defends.

- Theories various branches of philosophy : ethics, political philosophy, ontology (study of being), epistemology (study of knowledge), aesthetics, education…

- Main question: What is justice?

Plato’s Republic

A central idea that Socrates / Plato defends: Ideally, in a just state, the rulers should be philosopher–kings.

Who is the philosopher? (Books 6-7) the one who has knowledge in the true sense: “theoretical” knowledge contemplation [theoria] of Forms

(!! Contrast with “Socrates’ ideal of the philosopher!!)

Plato’s Republic

Platonic Classification of Beings

Sensible Things Intelligible ThingsEx: a red carpet Ex: Red(ness)

a beautiful body Beautya just person Justice

Sensible things Forms (eidos)Copy Model (paradeigma) Lower degree of reality Higher degree of realityChanging UnchangingRelative AbsoluteComplex SimpleMultiplicity Unity

How can the philosopher have access to true knowledge?

through a comprehensive transformation of

his soul: a “conversion”. A long and difficult process…

…described in the “Allegory of the Cave”

Allegory of the Cave

Life in the cave: ordinary human condition Life outside the cave: life of “theoria” Objects outside the cave: forms The Sun: Form of the good Time and effort is needed to get used to the

life outside Education of the philosopher: It is not like

putting knowledge into the soul! It is rather like “turning” the soul from…

…sensible things… …to intelligible things (Forms).

Allegory of the Cave

The philosopher should not stay in the realm of intelligible things. He should turn back to the cave…

…and educate people. This may be difficult and somewhat risky.

But this is his mission! Collective happines should be the goal! That is why the philosopher is also a king.

Allegory of the Cave