Sophie’s World: Notes
Plato
Project:
What is the difference between a society that condemns to
death a great man such as Socrates, and one that treats such a
man with respect and uses his gifts for the benefit of all?
Plato, 428-347 BC, Athens
Pupil of Socrates
Age 29 at trial and death of Socrates, greatly affected by event
After Socrates death he left Greece and spent 12 years traveling
through Italy, Sicily, Egypt and Cyrene on a quest for knowledge
At 40, he returned to Athens and founded a school in the Grove of
Academe
Writings
First published work was Apology, an account of the trial of
Socrates
Wrote in the form of dialogues, often using Socrates as a main
character
Thus it is difficult to know which ideas are Plato’s and which are
his teachers
Famous for The Republic, an account of an ideal society ruled by
philosopher kings
The Theory of Ideas
The physical world, the objects we perceive with our senses, is an
ephemeral illusion.
The objects we perceive represent imperfect manifestations of a
perfect form
The perfect forms, which are not present in the physical world, are
called ideas
Ideas, according to Plato, can only be known through use of the
mind
Physical forms we know through perception, which changes or
flows
Ideal forms we know through our reason, which is constant and
eternal
The Power of Reason
Plato believed that the faculty of reason is innate to human beings,
we are born with it
True knowledge is eternal and can only be attained through use of
reason
All perfect forms, or ideas, are imprinted within us from birth, and
it is within our power to recall these ideas.
The sum of all knowledge is The Good, a power that sheds light
upon all things (some call this Plato’s God)
The Soul
Man is a dual creature, a temporary physical body, and an
immortal soul
The soul enters the body from the world of Ideas and when waking
forgets the existence of the Ideas.
When we use our reason we begin to recollect the immutable
Ideas, this creates a longing for the soul to return to the Idea world
The longing of the soul to return to its origin, Plato called love
Quotes:
“Ignorance, the root and the stem of every evil.”
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled
by evil men.”
“Necessity, who is the mother of invention."
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