Plato †Philosophy Essay

The Republic is one of Platos eight-day works (more than 450 pages in length). It is written in dialogue form (as argon most of Platos books), & it addresses major issues in almost all of the branches of philosophical system of patterns. The telephone exchange theme in the book seems to be the reputation of dearice, a theme in political school of thought, but Plato also has his characters explore issues in ? philosophical cosmology, ? philosophical theology, ? philosophical anthropology, ? ethics, ? aesthetics, and ? epistemology.The parts of the Republic that be contained in our school text (pp. 107-123) focus on Platos idea (ideal?) of the Philosopher Ruler. According to Plato, ? the give way(p) doable political system ( soil) ? will be ruled (governed) ? by PHILOSOPHERS (Is he kidding? ) Our reading selection contains the following themes/sections ? ? Introduction on the unifying of school of thought & politics (107) Why sure philosophers would cook the best rule rs (108-12) What is square(a) doctrine? (108-11) Love of wisdom (108) Knowledge of true reality (108-9) The distinctions between intimacy, ignorance and vision (109-11) How is a true philosopher discordent from a lover of judgement?(111-12) Who is best suited to rule the state lovers of opinion or true philosophers? (112) ? ? governmental leadership and companionship of the technical (112-13) The ascent of the mind to knowledge of the Good (113-123) The analogy between the Good and the sun (113-15) The image of the divided inception (115-18) The allegory of the cave (118-123) The selection in the text begins at a point in the Republic after Socrates, Glaucon, & other characters have been discussing the nature of salutaryice and the marks of a just political system for many time.So we are glide slope into the middle of the conversation where Glaucon is pressing Socrates to state whether it is possible for a really just political system to line up into inhabit ence. Before answering Glaucons question, Socrates wonders whether it is worthwhile to What does he say invent a theoretical model of a good political system even if such a system could close this? Do you assent? Why non actually exist. or why non? tail end to Glaucons original question Can a really just (or at least approximately just) political system exist? What would make it possible? (It is the separation of philosophy & political power. ) And this leads to .. . . unless political power & philosophy are brought together & those who now pursue either the one or the other exclusively are prevented from doing so -neither our political problems nor our human troubles in general can be ended . . . . (Text, pp. 108-111) adjust Philosophy & True Philosophers What are the characteristics of a person who is naturally suited to practice philosophy?According to Socrates (Plato), a true philosopher ? loves the whole of wisdom and is satisfied with zipper less ? recognizes the diff erence between particular social occasions and the essences (or forms) of which particular things are likenesses (e.g. , good-looking things vs. Beauty itself) and ? knows the differences between knowledge, ignorance, and opinion.Plato argues that manyone who really loves something must love that thing as a whole and not just some aspects of it. On that basis, he concludes that a true philosopher (lover of wisdom) must desire wisdom as a whole and not be content with having just some wisdom. Do you agree with this? Do wine-lovers really love all wines? A true philosopher recognizes the difference between particular things and the essences (or forms) of which particular things are likenesses (e. g. , splendiferous things vs.Beauty itself).One of Platos major metaphysical theories is cognise as the scheme of Forms. According to that theory, ultimate reality is a realm of forms (essences) not fond to the virtuosos but only to the mind (intellect). He calls that level of realit y the clear realm (because it is accessible only to the intellect). The perceptible world (i. e. , the world we embrace through our senses) is a reflection or copy of that higher plain world. (The Greek word for form or essence is eidos. ) Do you regard it is possible for one thing to be really more gorgeous than another thing?Well, how is that possible if Absolute Beauty does not exist? How can A be more beautiful than B? Doesnt A have to be closer to Absolute Beauty than B is? But how can A be closer to (or B be further away from) Absolute Beauty if Absolute Beauty does not exist? A true philosopher knows the differences between ? Knowledge, ? ignorance, & ? opinion. Platos slew of knowledge, ignorance, and opinion (Text, pp. 109-111) State of Mind Knowledge notion Ignorance Object What is (Being, Reality) What is & is not (Becoming) What is not (Nothingness, Unreality) Access Intellect Perception ? (Do you agree with this setup/theory?)Is Plato in effect(p) about knowledg e, ignorance, and opinion? Heres a different view. What about knowledge? The three basic questions in epistemology ? ? What is knowledge? How does it differ from opinion? How do we acquire knowledge? What are its sources? Rationalism vs. Empiricism. (What about Intuitionism and Revelationism? ) ? What are the extent and limits of knowledge? What can be known, and what cannot be known? A (fairly) standard definition of knowledge (and opinion) ? Knowledge is justified (i. e. , verified) true belief. To know is to believe. The belief must, in fact, be true. The belief must be justified (i.e. , verified, proved) by some standard and generally recognized means. ? Opinion is belief that may be true or may be false but that has not been or cannot be justified (i. e. , verified, proved) by any standard and generally recognized means. Of course, some opinions that are rationally defensible in the weak sense are justified in a limited way. And what about ignorance? Isnt ignorance basically an absence of knowledge? Of course, opinion is also an absence of knowledge. So perhaps ignorance is a certain or special kind of opinion that is in some sense groundless (in a way based on nothing, as Plato says).? thither seem to be various types of ignorance, including unintelligent ignorance, as when someone asserts dogmatically that a false proposition is true or that a true proposition is false. There is also intelligent ignorance, as when someone does not know X and acknowledges forthrightly that he does not know it, etc. More thought is needed on this matter. ? However, Platos view of ignorance as having non-being (nothingness) as its object does not seem correct (or at least not completely correct).? ? ? Lovers of wisdom (philosophers) they recognize the existence of absolute, otherworldly essences such as Beauty & Justice in themselves, and they seek knowledge of such absolutes. ? Lovers of opinion -they recognize only particular perceptible things & do not believe in t he existence of absolute essences such as Beauty itself. So what is the nature of the Absolute Good? (Text, p. 112-113) In feeler the problem of defining the nature of the Absolute Good, Socrates (Plato) sets forth three very famous illustrations of his overall perspective on knowledge & reality.These are I The Good & the Sun The Good is to the mind as the sun is to the eye, i.e. , just as the suns light enables the eye to see in the perceptible realm, so the Good illuminates the mind and enables it to see in the straightforward realm. (See text, pp. 113-115) 2 The divided line (Text, pp. 115-118) States of Consciousness Philosophical Wisdom E Objects of Consciousness The Good & Other Forms Knowledge D Intelligible dry land Scientific Knowledge Informed Opinion Delusion C B Mathematical & Scientific Objects Opinion Perceptible Objects Images Perceptible Realm A (Text, pp. 118-123) Can you link the images on the following slide to Platos mental picture of the cave world on pp.11 8-121 in the text? Now that the captive has seen the light, ? What might happen to him if he were to go back down into the cave-world? (pp. 119-121) ? How does he feel when he looks back down into the cave-world? (pp. 119) ? How does the allegory of the cave flesh out Platos overall view of knowledge and reality? (p. 121) More questions ? Whats the philosophical difference between coming into the darkness from the light & coming into the light from the darkness? (p. 121) ? What, according to Plato, does the allegory of the cave tell us about what the process of education should be?(pp. 121-122) there are the astronomical questions Why should we want philosophers to rule? How are we going to get them to rule? Since we are asking them to come back down into the cave-world, wont we be doing them harm by making their lives worse rather than better? (Text, pp. 122-123) What do you think of the following statements by Plato (Socrates)? The best rulers of the state are those who know th e Good, who dont look to politics for their happiness, & who live a higher life than the political life. Political power should be held by those who do not want it. The End (for now).