Plato

Born in Athens in 428 or 427 BC, died at 80 in 348 or 347 BC. Youngest of 3 children (all male). Aristocratic and politically- connected family. Father descended from Athenian kings; died while Plato was young. His mother remarried an associate of Pericles’.

Plato had political ambitions, but became disillusioned with Athenian politics –Empire in decline since the Peloponnesian war several yrs before Plato was born –Tyrannical junta ca 400 BC seized estates and executed many. –P witnessed trial/execution of Socrates in 399 BC in a restored democracy on charges of corrupting youth, introducing new gods, atheism, etc. Plato became thoroughly jaded, left Athens, gave up political career, and traveled around the Mediterranean (Italy, Sicily, Egypt) Studied religion, geometry, astronomy and composed first of Dialogues

Returned to Athens in 387 and founded the Academy (possibly the first European university) and taught astronomy, biology, math, political theory, philosophy) until closed around 1000 yrs later (529 AD) by Justinian. Sought to train “philosopher- kings”.

Major Themes that form basis of his interest in matters of psychological concern –Wanted to find knowledge about which he could be certain –Wanted to demonstrate the immortality of the soul Conceived of a world of phenomena and a world of forms (ideas) –Phenomena: changing, essentially unreal world of appearances –Forms: world that is real and eternal –E.g., a perceived tree is only an appearance. Form of the tree, not perceived directly, is known only intuitively—but this is what truly exists Ideas not created by thought; an idea is reality, not thought World of appearances is just a shadow – example of the cave

Independent existence of forms shown by the phenomenon of reminiscence –E.g., Socrates’ elicitation of geometry solution from untutored slave boy. Since boy could solve problem under questioning, he most have already known the answer and that knowledge of the forms had been present since birth. –I.e., learning is the drawing-out of what’s already there.

Soul –Means by which man apprehends the forms –Only the soul is capable of knowing intuitively the world of forms

Theory of forms influenced P’s attitude toward science –Distrust of physical world, incl. Sensory experience –Turned away from empirical science –Saw science as rationalistically drawing conclusions from axioms Truth known only through introspection Only knowledge of the forms can give us truth

Plato’s views suggest that soul and body are fundamentally different –Soul may apprehend an ideal world; not dependent on the body (e.g., senses) and survives death of body –(Note: same issue crops up again in medieval times; called the problem of universals. Eye can see one cat at a time, but mind “knows” of the universal cat”. Such knowledge assumes a knowing faculty that isn’t sensory. –Thus, this knowledge is not given in experience. –It is knowledge that mind must have prior to experience in order that experience can teach us anything.