Plato was born in Athens 2400 years ago
and is widely recognized as having been
the founder of philosophy in order to
convey what he believed philosophy could
do for us he made up a now-famous
metaphor about a cave
he compared human beings who had not
learned how to philosophize to people
living deep in the side of a mountain in
a cave illuminated only by the dim light
of flickering torches in such gloom they
regularly mistake one thing for another
halloumi for chicken spam for ham the
task of philosophy is quite literally
elimination it is to help guide us to
more meaningful and fulfilled lives for
Plato we are so often in the dark about
our lives because we exist under the
sway of doctor the ancient Greek term
for public opinion doctor is a tangle of
prejudice and ill thought through
impulses it is the task of philosophy to
straighten out and we think and to be
more precise in our ideas one of the
things Plato thought a lot about was
love he came to the view that we would
not fall in love we were not in certain
psychological base incomplete we are
drawn to people we dimly sent can
compensate us for certain of our
deficiencies of character who can make
us whole love grows when we identify in
another person qualities we need more of
in ourselves in order to become better
more rounded individuals so the shy will
often feel a distinct attraction towards
the confident the carefree towards the
thoughtful the mild cheese towards the
astringent pickle the sweet chocolate
towards the tart berries in his theories
Plato of course an important rotor
Beauty it would have been easy for him
to dismiss beautiful things as merely
superficial many philosophers have but
he believed that beauty is an embodiment
at a physical level of what we would at
the psychological plane
cool goodness when we say that this
miniature Yorkshire pudding is beautiful
it is because we are sensing the promise
of what might be admirable psychological
qualities too if it turned into a person
we’d likely the miniature Yorkshire
pudding was it would be optimistic open
to experience a little cynical but
generous beautiful things therefore have
a hugely important function they invite
us to evolve in their direction to
become as they are Beauty can for Plato
educate our souls it follows that for
Plato ugly things are serious matters
too for they parade dangerous and
damaged characteristics in front of us
we need to stay away from them for they
otherwise encourage us to be like they
are Athenian Society was very focused on
the rich like the lush aristocrat
Alcibiades and sports celebrities like
the boxer Milo of Croton Plato wasn’t
impressed it really matters who we
admire the celebrities influence our
outlook ideas and contact and bad heroes
give glamour to flaws of character
Plato therefore wanted to give Athens
and you celebrities replacing the
current crop with ideally wise and good
people II called Guardians models for
everyone’s good development these people
would be distinguished by their record
of public service their modesty in
simple habits their dislike of the
limelight and their wide and deep
experience plato was a noted
anti-democrat he simply didn’t believe
everyone should be allowed to vote but
he wasn’t in favor of a voting elite
based on money or class he believed that
people should be allowed to vote only if
they could demonstrate that they had
exercised thought and judgment he was an
aristocrat of the mind he was also an
idealist someone who looks at the way
things are now and tries to imagine how
they could be better one day we still
sometimes use the term Platonic ideal in
his honor this is a dull modest
this is a platonic doll – this is an egg
this is a platonic egg in Plato’s
perfect society described in his book
the Republic it wouldn’t just be boxes
merchants and chefs who would be
venerated but primarily philosophers
people devoted to self knowledge wisdom
and kindness as he put it
society will only be put right when
philosophers become kings or kings philosophers we continue to agree
and is widely recognized as having been
the founder of philosophy in order to
convey what he believed philosophy could
do for us he made up a now-famous
metaphor about a cave
he compared human beings who had not
learned how to philosophize to people
living deep in the side of a mountain in
a cave illuminated only by the dim light
of flickering torches in such gloom they
regularly mistake one thing for another
halloumi for chicken spam for ham the
task of philosophy is quite literally
elimination it is to help guide us to
more meaningful and fulfilled lives for
Plato we are so often in the dark about
our lives because we exist under the
sway of doctor the ancient Greek term
for public opinion doctor is a tangle of
prejudice and ill thought through
impulses it is the task of philosophy to
straighten out and we think and to be
more precise in our ideas one of the
things Plato thought a lot about was
love he came to the view that we would
not fall in love we were not in certain
psychological base incomplete we are
drawn to people we dimly sent can
compensate us for certain of our
deficiencies of character who can make
us whole love grows when we identify in
another person qualities we need more of
in ourselves in order to become better
more rounded individuals so the shy will
often feel a distinct attraction towards
the confident the carefree towards the
thoughtful the mild cheese towards the
astringent pickle the sweet chocolate
towards the tart berries in his theories
Plato of course an important rotor
Beauty it would have been easy for him
to dismiss beautiful things as merely
superficial many philosophers have but
he believed that beauty is an embodiment
at a physical level of what we would at
the psychological plane
cool goodness when we say that this
miniature Yorkshire pudding is beautiful
it is because we are sensing the promise
of what might be admirable psychological
qualities too if it turned into a person
we’d likely the miniature Yorkshire
pudding was it would be optimistic open
to experience a little cynical but
generous beautiful things therefore have
a hugely important function they invite
us to evolve in their direction to
become as they are Beauty can for Plato
educate our souls it follows that for
Plato ugly things are serious matters
too for they parade dangerous and
damaged characteristics in front of us
we need to stay away from them for they
otherwise encourage us to be like they
are Athenian Society was very focused on
the rich like the lush aristocrat
Alcibiades and sports celebrities like
the boxer Milo of Croton Plato wasn’t
impressed it really matters who we
admire the celebrities influence our
outlook ideas and contact and bad heroes
give glamour to flaws of character
Plato therefore wanted to give Athens
and you celebrities replacing the
current crop with ideally wise and good
people II called Guardians models for
everyone’s good development these people
would be distinguished by their record
of public service their modesty in
simple habits their dislike of the
limelight and their wide and deep
experience plato was a noted
anti-democrat he simply didn’t believe
everyone should be allowed to vote but
he wasn’t in favor of a voting elite
based on money or class he believed that
people should be allowed to vote only if
they could demonstrate that they had
exercised thought and judgment he was an
aristocrat of the mind he was also an
idealist someone who looks at the way
things are now and tries to imagine how
they could be better one day we still
sometimes use the term Platonic ideal in
his honor this is a dull modest
this is a platonic doll – this is an egg
this is a platonic egg in Plato’s
perfect society described in his book
the Republic it wouldn’t just be boxes
merchants and chefs who would be
venerated but primarily philosophers
people devoted to self knowledge wisdom
and kindness as he put it
society will only be put right when
philosophers become kings or kings philosophers we continue to agree
Please follow and like us: