The Philosophy of Plato

A Brief History of Plato

Born in Athens in 427 BCE Disciple of Socrates Plato’s philosophy was influenced by

Socrates Founded the Academy, to train leaders in

philosophy, in Athens in 387

Plato’s Dialogues

Early Dialogues Middle Dialogues Later DialoguesApologyCritoLachesEuthyphroRepublic, Book 1

GorgiasMenoEuthydemusHippias I and IICratylus

SymposiumPhaedoRepublic, Books 2-10TimaeusLaws

•Most of Plato’s philosophical writing is in the form of dialogues

•Total of 42 Dialogues

•Socrates is used in all of Plato’s Dialogues

Early Dialogues

Wrote them before he had a philosophy of his own

Socrates is portrayed historically accurately Mainly critical of the moral views of others

Middle Dialogues

Begins coming up with his own philosophy Develops some metaphysical (philosophical

principles) and epistemological (nature of knowledge) positions.

Begins introducing his theory of the forms into his writing

Late Dialogues

Socrates is used purely to advance Plato’s own views

His approach is constructive—used mainly to develop his own mature philosophical system

General Ideas

Inherited Socrates’s philosophy Attempted to complete it by adding a

foundation in metaphysics Believed philosophy must render man

morally better

The Socratic Philosophy

The only real wisdom is knowing that you know absolutely nothing

The highest good is the improvement of the soul—the care for wisdom and truth– Virtue does not come from money, but money come

from virtue Virtue is knowledge

– Evil and wrongdoing come from lack of knowledge or ignorance

The Concept of the Philosopher-King

Plato initially thought revising the Athenian constitution would end the moral degeneration of Athens

Then realized philosophy was the key Only kings that knew philosophy or

philosophers that were kings would know what true justice was.

Plato’s Metaphysics

There is a distinction between “things” and “forms”

This must be understood before being able to understand Plato

“Things” are what we can perceive with our senses

“Forms” are eternal and static

Theory of Knowledge

Understanding (Science and Mathematics)

Forms of Science and Mathematics

Belief (Perception)

Things, Objects

Reason (Dialectic)

Higher Forms

Conjecture (Imagination)

Shadows, Images,

Reflections

ObjectsThought

KnowledgeIntelligible

World

Visible WorldOpinion

Imagination or ConjectureLevel 1

Imagination is the lowest level on the divided line of knowledge

Mental activity is at a minimum– Awareness of shadows, optical illusions, and

the like

BeliefLevel 2

Begins to have common sense Perception of concrete objects occur at this

level– Recognition of things such as three-

dimensional visible objects Classification and organization of perceived

objects begin at this level

Rational Understanding or IntellectLevel 3

The crossing of the line represents the change from the knowledge of a plumber to the knowledge of a civil engineer

Perception of abstract objects occur at this level

The Theory of Two Worlds

Sensible World World of the Formsappearance  (seems real) reality (is real)

immanent (within space and time) transcendent (beyond space and time)

becoming (ever changing) being (eternal and unchanging)

particular and imperfect absolute and perfect

many instances (copy; imitation) one essence (archetype)

perceived by senses known by reason

subjective  (dependent upon my perception)

objective (exist independently of my mind)

Examples: a computer, a person Examples: Justice, Goodness

The World of the Forms

The world of Forms is the “real” world Forms are abstract Things that can be perceived by the senses

can be derived from Forms. The world of Forms consists of eternal and

unchanging abstract concepts such as Justice and Beauty

The Sensible World

The Sensible world is a shadow or imitation of the world of Forms– The shadow represents a concrete object

It is impossible to derive a Form from a Sensible thing

Sensible things only exist because of participation A book comes into being because it is

participating in the form of Bookness.

Significance of the Two World Theory

Why would Plato need to develop such a complicated metaphysical system?

Plato used this system to counteract the Sophists’ relativism

The Sophists believed that true and false, good and bad, were merely opinions.

This would have led to the death of philosophy

ReasonLevel 4

Highest level of knowledge Mind uses the method of dialectic

– Dialectic is the crown-science of all sciences Dialectic identifies all of the forms A philosopher can attain the knowledge of

dialectic through love of truth, which enables him to reach the Idea of the Good, the supreme form– The Idea of the Good gives truth which makes the

forms intelligible

The Tripartite Soul

Man is made of 3 elements– Ability to use language and reason– Bodily desires and needs– Emotional drives such as anger and sorrow

Justice in the Soul

Justice for a man is functioning in accordance with his form, the three parts of his soul

Reason may know good, but it is in conflict with bodily desires

The Soul as Organism

The dysfunction of any of the three elements causes the soul to lose its well-being

Neither a life devoted to bodily desires nor a life devoted to denial of bodily desires would be functional

Conflict Within the Soul

Reason comes into conflict with the bodily appetites

The third element, emotional drives, serves as a mediator of conflicts– It can act on behalf of either reason or the

appetites

The Theory of the Three Types of Souls

The person dominated by reason seeks wisdom

The person dominated by emotional drives seeks success and fame

The person dominated by bodily appetites seeks material wealth

Ethics: The Good Life

Pleasure is not the highest good for humans Pursuing pleasure as the highest good will

destroy you Highest good consists of fulfilling all three

elements in the proper order– First, reason– Then emotional drives– Last, bodily appetites

The Harmony of the Soul

The three elements of the soul form a harmony like a musical harmony

The good life is the harmoniously balanced life, which satisfies all three elements

This is the Good Life, the life of human happiness

Government

When a society called on itself to fulfill its needs, Plato had a social structure:– The philosophers direct the state; – The warriors defend the state; – The producers must attend to the material production of those

things that are needed by the state. • Divided further by skills and jobs

Plato is strictly aristocratic– Philosophers direct the state because they are wise and they know

of the Eternal Forms, the constant forms of Knowledge.– Also, they know the essence of the state and show the other two

lower classes the way that must be followed in order to attain the end of the state

Bibliography

www.rit.edu/~flwstu/plato.html Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia www.philosophypages.com/hy/2f.htm#memo www.philosophypages.com/hy/2g.htm#jui www.philosophypages.com/hy/2h.htm#women www.radicalacademy.com/adiphilmetaphysical2.html From Socrates to Sartre: the Philosophic Quest

Author: T. Z. Lavine