Essay on Platos Theory of Knowledge - 2731 Words

â€Å"If the truth of all things always existed in the soul, then the soul is immortal† (The Philosophical Journey 89). This states that since the soul has all knowledge integrated, one recollects this knowledge through situations in an individual’s life and use one’s reasoning. With the dialogues of the Meno and Phaedo, Plato discusses the ideas of recollection and immortality of the soul in general. As well, the Republic, through the three different situations shown, Plato shows the ideas of the forms and what is real and what is not. In the dialogue of Meno, Socrates explains the idea of recollection with the question and answer period between himself and the boy. Meno asks Socrates, â€Å"What do you mean by saying that we do not learn, and†¦show more content†¦Socrates ponders this thought and explains that, â€Å"His soul must have always possessed this knowledge, for he either was or was not a man† (The Philosophical Journey 89). This explains that it is an innate notion, where the soul always has the knowledge and can be obtained through remembering said knowledge. Therefore, Socrates believes that since the truth is always inside the soul, then it must be immortal. The soul has all knowledge, and through the process of recollection, one can recover this information. Phaedo, the second dialogue of Plato’s theory, states that only through the forms and absolutes, an individual can have knowledge. It has been questioned how society can have the knowledge of an absolute if we havenâ€⠄¢t discovered said absolute. Socrates reflects, â€Å"The thing which I see aims at being like some other thing, but falls short of and cannot be like that other thing, and is inferior† (The Philosophical Journey 90). That is to say that in order to have the understanding of an absolute of something, we can derive its meaning from the things that do not meet the requirements. In addition, to derive the conceptualization of an absolute, an individual can only use the senses one is given. As well, Socrates declares, â€Å"From the senses then is derived the conception that all sensible equals aim at an absolute equality of which they fall short† (The Philosophical Journey 90). As a result, the senses can only seeShow MoreRelatedPlatos Theory of Knowledge2524 Words   |  11 PagesPlatos Theory of Knowledge What appears to be so to me is true for me, and what appears to be so to you is true for you. It follows that everyone’s perceptions are equally true. This of course is the extreme form of relativism that Protagoras claims when he asserts that man is the measure of all things in regards to truth. It seems that if all perceptions (e.g. judgments and beliefs) are equally true, there can be no room for expertise. But what is Protagoras to say of our natural inclination thatRead MorePlatos Theory of Knowledge Essay918 Words   |  4 PagesPlatos Theory of Knowledge Platos Theory of Knowledge is very interesting. He expresses this theory with three approaches: his allegory of The Cave, his metaphor of the Divided Line and his doctrine The Forms. Each theory is interconnected; one could not be without the other. Here we will explore how one relates to the other. In The Cave, Plato describes a vision of shackled prisoners seated in a dark cave facing the wall. Chained also by their necks, the prisoners can onlyRead MorePlatos Theory of Human Knowledge Essay662 Words   |  3 PagesPlatos Theory of Human Knowledge Plato contended that all true knowledge is recollection. He stated that we all have innate knowledge that tells us about the things we experience in our world. This knowledge, Plato believed, was gained when the soul resided in the invisible realm, the realm of The Forms and The Good. Platos theory of The Forms argued that everything in the natural world is representative of the ideal of that form. For example, a table is representative of the ideal formRead MoreSocratic Creed vs. Platos Theory of Knowledge2206 Words   |  9 PagesTruths and Ideas Allyson Hansen Introduction to Philosophy Mark Eleveld 13 March, 2013 Allyson Hansen Mark Eleveld Introduction to Philosophy 13 March, 2013 The Synonymy of Truths and Ideas A modern philosopher studies â€Å"the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence† according to the Free Online Dictionary and many Americans. However, if you asked a philosopher to define the word ‘philosopher,’ he or she might say that a philosopher is a lover of wisdom. The word philosophy itself is derivedRead MoreWeaknesses Of Plato1262 Words   |  6 Pagesthe possibility for one’s mind to uncover knowledge. Knowing one can obtain knowledge motivates the mind to gain more knowledge. Plato explains the theory of recollection by first questioning what virtue is, then demonstrating the process through the questioning of a slave boy. Although a few weaknesses present themselves in Plato’s argument, Plato presents a valid theory on how our minds can obtain knowledge. This paper focuses on exploring Plato’s theory of recollection by examining the strengthsRead MorePlatos 4 Analogies Of The Republic Analysis1579 Words   |  7 P agesrepresent his theory of justice in the ideal state. The four analogies include the ship, the sun, the divided line, and the cave. The analogies of the ship, and the cave are used by Plato to represent the people of the state and proving his argument that philosophers are the true rulers of the state. The divided line and the sun analogies also supports Plato’s point about philosophers obtaining intellectual knowledge apposed to the ordinary citizens who only have sensible knowledge. Plato arguesRead MoreThe Main Elements Of Plato s Cave1152 Words   |  5 Pagesof life is when men are afraid of the light† – Plato In this paper the main elements of Plato’s cave will be described along with a short explanation of Plato’s theory of forms, which is what the cave allegory is attempting to address. A brief description of the plot of the movie â€Å"The Island â€Å"will follow. This will be followed by an explanation of how the movie correlates to the elements of Plato’s cave. Finally, the conclusion will discuss what Plato was hoping to achieve with the cave allegoryRead MorePlatos View in Human Knowledge Essay examples1392 Words   |  6 PagesPlatos View in Human Knowledge Plato presents three different views about knowledge in Meno, Republic, and Theaetetus. In Menos case, Plato believes knowledge as something innate in us when we are born; in his later view, in Republic, Plato believes we perceive things and gain knowledge; and from the last view, in Theaetus, Plato believes knowledge is the combination of a true opinion and a rational opinion. Strangely enough, Platos views in Meno, Republic, and Theaetetus are similar,Read MoreHume vs. Plato on Knowledge: A Comparative Analysis1541 Words   |  6 PagesHume vs. Plato on Knowledge Introduction Platos ideas on knowledge represent, perhaps, the most foundational and influential attempt to establish the boundaries of what can be known. His ideas have had an immense influence on successive philosophers as well as Western Civilization as a whole. David Hume, who came over two millennia after Plato, represents perhaps the most relevant attempt to establish the boundaries of what can be known. Thesis: According to Humes position on ideas and causationRead MoreBorn in the 5th century BCE, Plato was a rationalist, idealist philosopher, believing that we are1100 Words   |  5 Pagesrationalist, idealist philosopher, believing that we are born with concepts within us, and that these concepts are the same for everyone (Solomon, Higgins, Martin, 2012). Through his beliefs, Plato developed a theory which he believed answered the question of ‘What is reality?’, that he called the theory of Forms (Solomon, et al., 2012). According to Plato, the Forms are a perfect ideal of an object or a concept, which is unchanging and innate within us (Solomon, et al., 2012). It is because of the Forms