It’s Plato, not Playdough Thoughts on the Republic, the Soul, and everything in between

Let’s try an experiment. Try drawing a circle. Do it now! Unless you’re some kind of human compass, your circle probably looked like this: Sort of like a couch cushion… or a bunt cake that fell down the stairs. But most people would still recognize it as a circle, right?

This is an example of one of the most critical theories conceived by Plato. Plato was fascinated by the consistency and diversity of the world. How was it possible that every man could be different, and yet all men shared certain qualities? All stooges share basic properties… their stoogocity. Furthermore, how could a man’s life be temporary and ever- changing, but the natural cycle of man be permanent?

Plato decided that there must be two realms that existed in nature The realm of ideas was permanent. It consisted of the perfect version of all things—the template by which all natural forms were created. The realm of ideas could not be perceived by the senses. The realm of material (aka The Natural World) was ever-changing. It consisted of the physical materials of life—the imperfect copies of the ideal forms. The realm of material could be perceived by the senses.

It works like this: Let’s say you’re looking for someone to date… In your mind, you have a conception of what that perfect date would look like. You also have a sense of how he would act, what he might say, and how he might live. You will never meet this person. He doesn’t exist in the material world. You will, however, meet a series of possible choices to date. They will generally fit your categories of the ideal, but will not perfectly match the conception of the realm of ideas.

Plato believed that all concepts fit this scheme– not just physical objects. You could have, for example, –Ideal morality and material morality –Ideal beauty and material beauty –Ideal truth and material truth Plato believed that man was gifted in that he alone could perceive the realm of ideas! You could perceive the realm of ideas in two ways: –Through your immortal soul –Through use of reason

According to Plato, your soul is immortal and existed prior to being housed in your body. Prior to your birth, your soul resided in the realm of the ideals. Once placed in your body, the soul loses its memory of this previous existence. This is exactly like Jason Bourne. Who am I? Why did I star in The Legend of Bagger Vance? Also like Jason Bourne, the soul will have moments of vague recollection. When the soul encounters the natural world, it will recall vaguely the ideal form from which the object is derived. After this, the soul will react just like Jason Bourne and roundhouse kick the material object in the face.

The other way man may perceive the realm of the ideal is through the exercise of reason. Like Socrates, Plato believed that only through reason could philosophers respond to the eternal questions of truth, beauty, and goodness. Our bodies cannot produce a perfect circle, but our sense of reason can discern that a circle consists of a 360 ̊ angle or that the area of a circle can be calculated as πr 2. I’m perfect!! I hate you so much.

Plato believed that man should orient himself along this sense of reason. Man can be divided into three quadrants: Head Chest Abdomen The soul thus has three corresponding characteristics which go with each body part. Reason Will Appetite These soul elements have three virtues that can be developed in perfecting man. Wisdom Courage Temperance Plato also had theories on how the perfect Republic could be divided, which corresponds to the human, his soul, and his soul’s virtues. Rulers (Philosophers) Auxiliaries (Priests, soldiers, etc.) Laborers

Plato’s influence on Western civilization is hard to over-emphasize He recorded the words of Socrates for thousands of subsequent philosophers. He established an academy which trained Athens best and brightest. He developed a theory of rational thought that would prove the dominant take on rationalism for the next two millennia. And yes, he does sound like that delicious kindergarten clay… "The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." --Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality