Plato approach to the two different/ alternate world is know as dualism. The idea of dualism has had a major effect and has strongly influenced the development of philosophy. Another side to Plato’s dualism is the belief in the separation of knowledge and opinion. We seek knowledge but really all we have is opinion. Plato realised the opinion is often mistaken for knowledge, for example, what may be beautiful for one person may be ugly for another. Both people seem to have knowledge, but they are only opinion. These opinions are contradictory, as is everything in the “World of appearances” therefore it is impossible to have any knowledge of them. Plato believed that if someone concerned themselves about beautiful things only has opinions about them, only people who are concerned about beauty itself can posses true knowledge.
People who know and understand how to find true knowledge in the world beyond the senses are involved in the “Intelligible World” and those that believe in the senses and opinion are involved in the “Visible World”. For Plato, knowing the forms was a kind of mental seeing or a vision of truth. It leads to discovering the “Form of Good” and therefore Plato believed that philosophy made you a better person. This theory is important for understanding and objects true nature. For example, a cat is not a dog and not a mouse, but yet it has four legs and a tail like the other two animals have, so how is it that we can distinguish a cat from a dog of a mouse? Plato believed that each animal has a perfect form, the cat has perfect cat-ness that makes us recognise a cat when we see one. This perfect cat-ness is only found in the “World of forms” which God created as the ideal cat, this cat is the only real cat and all the others are just shadows of it.
True knowledge means abandoning the senses and understanding this “World of forms”. To contemplate what we see and realise that it is not real, to try and see the world beyond the imperial information we receive. To seek reason and understanding and to grasp real knowledge and the “Form of the good”
“Plato’s theory of forms is of little use in understanding the physical world”
Discuss
Plato’s theory of forms is of little use in our physical world due to the fact that people in this world do not understand or know of the “World of forms”. These people are caught in their own ignorance and the philosopher is the only one who can use this theory to understand the “World of appearances” or physical world. The philosopher has knowledge of this world and can use it to explain the existence of everything. The ignorant do not understand because they are satisfied with their world of appearances and are happy with the life they have. They are confident that what they see is real and do not want to know of an alternate world or perfect world. The parable of the cave reflects this. Plato explained this with the philosopher who escaped the cave or “World of appearances” and saw the “World of forms”. He saw everything was much clearer than what he saw in the cave. The ignorant left in the cave wanted nothing to do with the philosopher’s alternate and perfect world because they were satisfied with what they thought was real.
This is also reflected in the film “ The Matrix”. Those stuck in the physical world have no idea that the alternate world exists and do not want to know any different. These people realise that what they sense in this world is what makes them feel real and alive and do not need the “World of forms” to justify their existence. People who are comfortable with this “World of appearances” or “ The Matrix” will feel extremely insecure in finding out that what they see is not real. The ignorant are symbolised by the people in “The Matrix”, only seeing what they are allowed to see. The people who escape “The Matrix” are symbolised as the philosophers, these people understand both worlds and can interpret what they know much more accurately than the ignorant because they have knowledge and not just opinion.
The ignorant never really know the whole truth, simply because they do not seek it. This may be because they have no desire for additional knowledge and therefore have no idea of the alternate reality. This therefore shows that Plato’s theory has little use in this physical world to anyone who has not gained knowledge from both the “World of forms” and the “World of appearances” and have only opinion. Those not understanding the physical world would therefore see little use in Plato’s theory of forms.