Plato's Philosophy: Forms, Soul, Virtue, and State

11_ Forms Relate to Things in Three Ways:

1. The form is the cause of the essence of the thing.
2. A thing imitates a form.
3. A thing participates in a form.

Although the form is separated from the house, every real thing owes its existence to the shape. Forms are mutually related as genus and species and tend to interlock while maintaining their own unity. For example, the animal form is present in the horse form. This provides a hierarchy of forms, for which the visible world is only a lower reflection. The higher we are situated in the hierarchy, the more universal is the knowledge.

12_ Plato's Moral Philosophy

Plato's moral philosophy is concerned with the theory of forms. If one can be deceived by appearances of the physical world, one can still succumb to the moral world of appearances. Man should know the difference between shadows and reflections on a good life. Plato affirmed that "virtue is knowledge."

13_ The Three Parts of the Soul

• Reason: Awareness of a goal or value.
• Spirit: The desire for the things of the body (desires).

For Plato, the soul is the principle of life, and the relationship between them is movement. The internal conflict of man arises because reason may suggest a goal, but the power of appetite can drag one in any direction of human behavior.

14_ The Cause of Evil

The cause of evil, taking into account the nature of the soul, is in the relationship it has with the body. The soul has two main parts: the rational and the irrational, with the spiritual and emotional aspects. Plato thinks there is a tendency for the irrational part, which is not perfect but ungovernable and down to earth, to be housed in a body. The soul has an inherent disorder, forgets the truth, and drifts towards earthly things. Plato believed that the body stimulates the irrational part of the soul to break the rule of reason.

15_ Achieving Balance in Life

The three types of souls achieve balance in life when reason controls the irrational parts, exceeding the desires and bodily stimuli. This is only achieved with knowledge because ignorance is the cause of evil.

16_ Virtue and Goodness

Virtue, for Plato, is linked with goodness and the harmony of the parts of the soul. The soul has various functions, and virtue gives them their fulfillment. There are as many virtues as functions. The three parts of the soul have three virtues that are achieved when they fulfill their functions. For example, the virtue of temperance (when appetites keep their boundaries), the virtue of courage (when avoiding recklessness), and the virtue of wisdom (when controlling appetite). There are interconnections among these virtues.

17_ Plato's Conception of Politics and the State

Plato's conception of politics and the state is linked with moral philosophy because the state is the large field of human action. He says there is a logical, natural, and structural connection between man and state. The state is a natural institution because it reflects the structure of human nature. The state is required because no individual is self-sufficient; everyone has needs. Everyone has the opportunity to reach the highest level, but they have natural skills. This naturally implies that some should be rulers and others craftsmen.

18_ Political Virtues

According to Plato, the human race will not be free until those who have backgrounds in philosophy reach political power. Justice in society will be fulfilled only if the three classes perform their duties:

• Craftsmen, representing the appetites, have the virtue of temperance.
• Warriors, who defend society, represent the virtue of courage. They must know what to fear and what not to. The only thing to fear is moral evil.

19_ Theory of the Cosmos

Plato's theory of the cosmos is his theory of nature or physics. Plato thought the world, though subject to change and imperfection, has order and purpose. Plato adopted the Pythagorean use of mathematics in describing the world, confirming that things are capable of being made mathematically. This ensures not only change but also purpose. Therefore, thought and the cosmos are the work of intelligence. The world is created by a Demiurge, who thinks of things like models, taking the form, and time is given for things imperfect and changing. The true meaning of time is change.