PLATO427-347 B.C.
• Born aristocratic in Athens• Socrates’ Student & Aristotle’s
teacher• Wrote about Socrates & this is
how we know of Socrates• Founded the Academy in 385
B.C. (1st University)• Interested in Political
Philosophy• Theory of Forms, Ethics,
Political Philosophy
PLATO FORM THEORY
• Everything you see, taste, smell, etc…are shadows of what is really “Real”
• What is real are FORMS.
• FORMS are the template or blueprint for things that are real
• FORMS are perfect and unchanging
• List the attributes of a desk
• Define the essence of a desk
• The more we study this, the closer we will come to figuring out the universal form of desk.
• According to Plato, this form is permanent.
• There is a FORM for everything
• FORMS are the only permanent reality, everything else is a temporary shadow of reality; all the things that we can sense. (PLATO’s Allegory of the Cave)
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of
Becoming
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of
Becoming
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of
Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Lower FormsScientific Principles, Math
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Lower FormsScientific Principles, Math
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
Reason & Logic
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Lower FormsScientific Principles, Math
Physical ThingsObjects, and originals of images
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
Reason & Logic
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Lower FormsScientific Principles, Math
Physical ThingsObjects, and originals of images
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
Reason & Logic
Perception Senses &
Scientific Tools
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Lower FormsScientific Principles, Math
Physical ThingsObjects, and originals of images
ShadowsMemories, fantasies, reflected images
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
Reason & Logic
Perception Senses &
Scientific Tools
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Lower FormsScientific Principles, Math
Physical ThingsObjects, and originals of images
ShadowsMemories, fantasies, reflected images
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
Reason & Logic
Perception Senses &
Scientific Tools
Imagination
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory
Higher FormsBeauty, Justice, Equality, Unity
Lower FormsScientific Principles, Math
Physical ThingsObjects, and originals of images
ShadowsMemories, fantasies, reflected images
Intelligible World of
Being
Visible World of Becoming
Educated Intellect
Pure Thought
Reason & Logic
Perception Senses &
Scientific Tools
Imagination
KNOWLEDGE
SCIENCE
MetaphysicsEpistemology
Permanent, Perfect & Real
Changing, Imperfect, Unreliable
Plato’s Theory of FormsAlso known as the Divided Line Theory