Plato's Philosophy: Theory of Ideas, Soul, and State
Theory of Ideas
The realities of ideas exist independently of the characteristics of things. Plato places them in the tradition of Parmenides, asserting that they are unique, eternal, immutable, and unchanging, and can only be grasped by intelligence. Things, on the contrary, are multiple and subject to change.
Objectives of the Ideas
- Ethics: To fight sophistic relativism, Plato bases virtue on knowledge; one can only be fair if one knows the idea of justice.
- Politics: Rulers must be guided by absolute ideals.
- Scientific: Science can only discuss what is permanent. Since the sensible world is constantly changing, science can only exist regarding the world of ideas.
The Platonic Soul
The soul is the reality intermediate between the two worlds. Plato establishes a tripartite division:
- Rational soul: Immortal.
- Irascible soul: Source of noble passions.
- Concupiscible soul: Source of ignoble passions.
Plato advocates a dualistic conception of the soul: one part immortal and one mortal. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental theory in Plato and a novelty in the philosophy of the time. Plato maintains a negative conception of the body as a hindrance to the soul, as it drags the soul down with its passions and prevents the contemplation of ideas, necessitating purification.
Ways of Knowledge
Ideas are the stable objects that science requires, but this poses the problem of how humans can reach them. Plato responds with two theories based on the intermediary character of the soul:
- Reminiscence: The soul has existed in the world of ideas; upon joining a body, it forgets, but by observing sensible things, it begins to remember.
- Dialectics: The highest degree of knowledge. The method of philosophy consists of a rise in levels of abstraction until reaching ideas (ascending dialectics), which can then be applied to define things without recourse to experience (descending dialectics).
The Role of Love
Love is an impulse toward beauty. The Scale of Diotima represents the soul's journey from sensitive beauty to the contemplation of the very idea of beauty.
Ethics
To achieve virtue, one must understand it through: Wisdom (to overcome relativism), Purification, and Harmony (justice is the cardinal virtue, consisting of the harmony of the three souls).
Politics: The Ideal State
- Ethics and Politics: There is a correlation between the soul and the state; each class corresponds to a type of soul.
- The Just City: Only in a just city is it possible to educate men under just laws, enabling access to ideas.
- Aristocratic Government: Philosophers are the most qualified to govern because they have perceived the ideas.
- Hierarchical Structure: The state is strictly organized; each individual is educated for a specific function according to the soul that predominates. The Platonic state model is a rigid system based on the model of ideas.