Plato’s Theory of Ideas and Biography
Plato’s Theory of Ideas
Epistemology
Plato’s Theory of Ideas is a central part of his epistemology and has been influential throughout the history of philosophy. It is fully developed in his later dialogues.
The central idea is that the world we perceive through our senses is unstable, imperfect, and in constant change and decay. This world is a mere shadow of a perfect, ideal world: the World of Ideas.
Early Dialogues and the Socratic Influence
In his early dialogues, Plato follows the Socratic tradition of defining virtues. He argues against the Sophists who claim that “value” cannot have a universal definition. For Plato (and Socrates), there must be something common to all valiant acts that makes them examples of valor. This common element is the “Idea” of valor.
The Two Worlds
This theory implies a duplication of the world:
- The visible world of particular things.
- The intelligible world of Ideas.
Ideas are “essences” – what makes a thing what it is. They exist apart from particular things and are not mere representations or mental concepts. They are entities with real and independent existence. Each idea is a substance, something that exists in itself, transcending reality.
Characteristics of Ideas
Ideas possess the characteristics of Parmenides’ Being:
- Each idea is unique, eternal, and immutable (there is only one Idea of beauty, and it is eternally and always the same).
- They are not sensible or corporeal realities, but solely intelligible realities, knowable only by the intellect.
The Sensible World
The sensible world is fleeting, dominated by continuous change (Heraclitus). Things are multiple, temporary, and changeable.
Relationship Between Ideas and Things
The relationship between Ideas and things is described using different expressions:
- From the perspective of things, it’s called participation (methexis) or imitation (mimesis).
- From the standpoint of Ideas, it’s called Presence.
It can also be said that Ideas are the cause or model of things.
Hierarchy of Ideas
There is a hierarchical order of Ideas:
- At the top is the Idea of the Good.
- Then come ethical and aesthetic ideas.
- Finally, mathematical ideas.
This hierarchical conception remains throughout Plato’s dialogues, although the supreme Idea is not always the same.
Intermediaries
Plato introduces two types of intermediaries between the two worlds:
- The soul
- Mathematical objects
Intentions of the Theory of Ideas
There is a triple intention found in the Theory of Ideas:
- Ethical intention (present in the first dialogues): To be virtuous, it is necessary to know what each virtue is.
- Political intention: Rulers should be philosophers who are guided not by political ambition but by transcendent and absolute ideals.
- Scientific intention: The purpose of science can only be the knowledge of Ideas.
Critical Dialogues and Revisions
In his critical dialogues, Plato revises his Theory of Ideas, questioning how these unique and perfect Ideas could account for the diversity and imperfection of the things that participate in them.
The Timaeus and the Demiurge
In one of his later dialogues, the Timaeus, Plato attempts to explain the origin of the world of things, the cosmos. He introduces a divine craftsman called the Demiurge (perhaps inspired by Anaxagoras’ Nous). The Demiurge’s task was to order the pre-existing, chaotic material moving in space, according to the eternal model (the World of Ideas).
Plato says that the Demiurge wished that all things were good and worked towards a specific purpose. In contrast to the mechanistic explanations of the Presocratic philosophers, Plato adopts a teleological explanation.
Plato’s Biography
Early Life and Influences
- Born Aristocles to an aristocratic family in Athens (with an inclination towards politics).
- Deeply affected by the death of Socrates in 399 BC, leading to disillusionment with politics: “All states are badly governed.”
- His philosophical and political ambition was to create a state where the death of Socrates, “the best of all men I have known, the wisest and the fairest,” would be impossible.
Writings and Style
- Wrote in the form of dialogues, often featuring Socrates as the main character.
- His dialogues express a way of philosophizing, engaging in philosophical discussions with other characters of his time: friends, disciples, relatives, and Sophists.
- Frequently employed myths in his writings.
Philosophical Background
Key influences on Plato’s thought include:
- Heraclitus (through his teacher Cratylus): All sensible things are in constant flux, so there can be no true knowledge of them.
- Parmenides: Influenced Plato’s conception of the characteristics of Being in the World of Ideas.
- Pythagoras and his school: Encountered during his travels in Sicily. Influenced his anthropological views, the concept of the immortality of the soul, and the importance of mathematics.
- Anaxagoras: Whose concept of Nous may have been a precedent for the Demiurge.
- The Sophists: Plato’s main philosophical opponents.
- Socrates: His teacher, from whom he adopted the inductive method for forming universal concepts, the aspiration to know essences, and a focus on moral and political problems.
Social and Political Context
- 5th-4th century BC: Athens was the center of Western civilization.
- Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens (during Plato’s early life), culminating in Athens’ surrender.
- Rule of the Thirty Tyrants (involving two of Plato’s relatives).
- Restoration of democracy, which condemned Socrates to death.