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Isaac Aland
Teresa Welch
Philosophy 1000-030
12 Dec. 2013
Plato and Descartes
The two philosophers whom I have chosen to write about are Plato and Descartes. Both
philosophers were born and raised in two different places, time periods, and were both heavily
influenced by the ideas and philosophies of their respective times. While with these two
philosophers were of brilliant minds, it was interesting to see how much they differentiate,
especially in their philosophies of metaphysics and epistemology. Here we will analyze the
differences and similarities, if any, of Plato and Descartes.
Plato, also known as the Philosopher-King, was one of Socrates finest students. He was
born and raised in aristocracy of ancient Greece, but left his wealth behind in order to see and
learn from the world. Luckily, Plato wrote down many of his philosophies, and they have been
preserved and analyzed over the centuries in order to understand what his philosophy really was.
We know that he was said to do well at everything, he was strongly influenced by his mother,
handsome, a wrestler, and even served in the military. Later, he founded his academy titled The
Academy, where only the elite could study and learn Plato’s philosophies of metaphysics,
epistemology, ethics, and politics. During Plato’s era, there began a new class of philosopher
known as “sophists.” Sophists were philosophers who traveled from city to city, and discovered
the differences between each culture. According to sophists, because of these differences, there
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are no absolute truths of reality and knowledge, but only cultural and individual relativism. Plato,
an anti-sophist, sought to disprove these claims made by the sophists, and began to develop a
series of ideas and philosophies in order to prove that reality and knowledge exist. In addition,
Plato devoted much time to social, political philosophy as well.
For Plato’s theories of metaphysics, he divided reality into three separate levels. The first
and highest level is where eternal and changeless beings are categorized. Therefore, he believed
that real things are, and will always be, eternal. In the second and third level, Plato claimed that
these levels together contained changing and becoming beings. Plato also argued that changes
are nothing more than appearances to things that are real. Plato developed a dualistic
metaphysics philosophy, and believed in another plane of existence that he referred to as the
realm of Forms and Particulars. According to Plato, these Platonic Forms and Particulars
independently exist beyond the human senses, and can only be recognized through thought. For
example, we recognize a chair when we see one because we have the image, or Form, of a chair
already in our minds. We have no need to touch, smell, or observe the chair in order to know if it
is a chair or not. Because of the Form that exists in our minds, we recognize a chair.
According to Plato, the sophists weren’t able to discover absolute truth because they were
too concerned with the world and the constant changes in values and customs found in different
cultures. In response, Plato asserted that knowledge is eternal and unchanging. In order to
enhance his philosophy on metaphysics and epistemology, Plato developed the concept of the
Divided Line. The Divided Line was used by Plato to illustrate the difference between
knowledge, opinion, reality, and appearances. The Divided Line contains sections, which are
also divided into two other segments. The first segment is claimed to be “pure intelligence and
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understanding”. The second segment is known as “reasoning”, the third identified as “informed
belief or ordinary opinions, and finally the fourth segment being “illusion and imagination.”
Plato founded many other theories to enhance his own philosophies. One of these is the
Absolute Form of the Good. According to Plato, the Absolute Form of the Good is comparable to
the sun, in the sense that it brings and supports life of everything. It is also the source of value
and existence to all the Forms and Particulars. Just like other Platonic Forms and Particulars, the
Absolute Form of the Good can only be acknowledged by thought. In addition, in his book
Republic, which has received critical acclaim among philosophers of many generations, Plato
introduced his famous Allegory of the Cave. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato described three
different levels of awareness and reality. The highest level is considered to for those with
knowledge and understanding. The second level is for individuals who are have a broader
perspective and understanding. The third and lowest level is categorized for those who lack
imagination and understanding.
In Republic, Plato also addressed that he opposes democracy, and believed that it is a
flawed system of government. According to Plato, societies that seek and act upon majority rule
make too many decisions based off of emotions, and not reason. Plato also argued that a
democratic society is destined to become a tyranny, where one person holds all the power in the
state to govern. Plato, on the other hand, suggested that society and the ideal state should be
monitored, ruled, and governed by “Philosopher Kings.” To Plato, a philosophical king is one
who makes political decisions based off reason and not emotion, therefore making the best and
most un-biased decisions. Plato also expressed that in the ideal state nourishment, protection, and
ordering are the three basic needs that each citizen needs. In order for these needs to be met,
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Plato stated that there needs to be three corresponding classes of people. These classes are the
workers, warriors, and the guardians or philosopher kings.
What’s highly credible about Plato’s philosophy is how profound and impacting it was
during his era, and in modern philosophy. The strengths of his philosophy are that he used
logical arguments in order to prove his theories of metaphysics, epistemology, and especially
political philosophy as well. Plato’s theories of government have influenced many politicians in
modern generations, and many nations throughout history have praised Plato’s political
philosophy. However; as profound and interesting as Plato’s ideas are, philosophers such as
Aristotle have argued that just because a theory sounds legitimate, that doesn’t make it true.
Rene Descartes, widely considered the father of modern philosophy and an archetype of
rationalism, would however strongly disagree with Plato and his philosophy. According to
Descartes, ancient philosophers lacked the study of the human mind, and failed to prove anything
legitimate about metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy.
Descartes was a first class rationalist and skeptic. He believed that everything must be
broken down, and be rationally proven in order to be accepted as truth. According to Descartes,
reason is the fount of all truths about metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political
philosophy. Descartes claimed that he wasn’t going to accept anything that was said to be true
unless he could verify it himself. He also encouraged others to do the same, and argued that
people who believe what is said to be true are only memorizers of other peoples’ ideas, and not
thinkers. On the other hand, Descartes also asserted that certain knowledge and truths are innate
ideas and universally true. He believed that we do not need evidence or experience in order to
prove that innate ideas are true.
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One of Descartes’s philosophical techniques that he employed was called “methodic
doubt.” In using methodic doubt, Descartes’s attempted to reject anything that could possibly be
proven false. This form of thought led him to believe that there’s nothing physical or logical that
can be rationally proven. Descartes began to ponder whether or not the external world is merely
an illusion or not. According to Descartes, our senses deceive us and can’t provide any answers
to absolute truths of the external world. He began to question if there’s an “evil genius,” who
deceives us about the external world and the reality of all things. However; Descartes managed
to discover one fundamental truth that even the evil genius couldn’t deny or disregard. Descartes
concluded by founding the cogito which states, “I think, therefore I am.” According to Descartes,
after doubting everything that could be possibly disproven, the fact that he could think for
himself was a sure, undeniable truth. Descartes also adopted a form of dualism, where he
believed that all things are made up of two individual substances; mind and matter.
Descartes was also a religious man, and in order to prove the existence of the external
world and the theory that we are all born with certain innate ideas, he developed a theory to
affirm that God truly exists. According to Descartes, the idea of a superior being can never be
derived from a mortal, human experience. The existence of God can only be derived from His
own existence. Descartes was convinced that if God was a real, perfect being, He therefore must
be living, because its more true and perfect for something to exist than not. Descartes believed
that God would never leave His creations in ignorance, and therefore asserted that certain
knowledge and truths can be defined and confirmed about metaphysics and epistemology.
What’s credible about Descartes’s philosophy is that during his time, commonly known
as the Age of the Enlightenment, it was a pivotal approach towards metaphysics and
epistemology in the realm of philosophy. Today, many students and philosophers debate over the
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effectiveness and value of Descartes’s philosophy, and question if in reality, we really are just a
bunch of brains floating around in a giant test tube, being deceived about everything we know,
see, or feel. However; despite this, many philosophers and students also argue and question, what
did Descartes prove? They insist that Descartes was merely confusing himself more and more,
and left us with a philosophy that is absurd with little lasting value.
After learning about Plato and Descartes’s philosophies and how they apply to their
generations and ours today, I’m pleased to understand why each philosopher has received praise
and criticism from critics around the world from all generations. Personally, while I find myself
disagreeing mostly with both Plato and Descartes, I believe that Plato was a more influential and
pivotal philosopher. What I find interesting in Plato’s work is that he sought to prove his theories
on a different level of thought and understanding. I also favor Plato because he studied all forms
of philosophy, and even though I don’t agree with his political ideas, I find it very interesting.
The biggest differences found between Plato and Descartes is that while Plato tried to prove the
existence of knowledge and reality of all things, whereas in contrast Descartes was convinced
that knowledge, nor reality, couldn’t be legitimately proven. What also separates Plato and
Descartes’s philosophy is that Plato believed in a dualism where all things are made up of Forms
and Particulars, whereas Descartes believed that all things are made of mind and matter.
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