Explain Plato's use of the metaphor of the shadows in his analogy of the cave.

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Elena Solaro 12e                

1)    Explain Plato's use of the metaphor of the shadows in his analogy of the cave

        

        The works of Plato had such a profound effect on the world of philosophical thought and debate, that he is often referred to as 'the father of philosophy'. Born in Athens around 428 BC, Plato was the student of another great thinker, Socrates. He had a keen interest in mathematics and physics, considering them to be the key to understanding the universe. Plato also appreciated the logical reasoning and reliable certainties of these subjects, and on the basis of these principles he began to doubt and challenge what our senses perceive as reality. From his observations, he deduced one of his major concepts: the Theory of Forms, or Ideas.

        Plato said that questions such as 'what is beauty?' or 'what is honesty?' cannot be properly answered, as human language cannot properly define them. Concepts such as these are abstract, in that, we cannot see or feel 'beauty' or 'honesty'; we cannot hold them in our hands. All that we can do is point to examples of these concepts, such as beautiful flowers, or honest people. However, we will each have a different opinion on what is beautiful. What one person considers beautiful, another may consider repulsive. Therefore, in order for human beings to have any understanding of these abstract ideas, Plato believed that some universal concept of 'beauty' or 'honesty' must exist. This was the basis for his Theory of Forms or Ideas.

        Plato decided that somewhere outside of our time and space, existed another realm: the realm of the Forms. Every object that we see on earth, or emotion we experience is merely a crude copy of its Form. For example, there are hundreds of types of flowers in the world, yet no two are identical. Therefore, how can we know what a flower really is, in its 'original' form? The simple answer is, we cannot. In reality, we can only say that we know they are all flowers because they have certain aspects of 'floweriness' in common, for example, leaves, petals etc. Plato said that all the flowers on earth are nothing more than poor replicas or reflections of the 'perfect Form of flower', which exists in the other realm. They are participating in its ideal Form, and are only appearances of beauty, not the real thing. The Forms are immutable, they are not subject to change or decay, but remain perfect for all eternity. They are also timeless and space-less. Plato's god was called the Demiurge, and Plato believed that he created our universe and our reality from matter, which already existed in a chaotic state. He did not create 'ex nihilo' (out of nothing), nor did he create the Forms. Instead, he used the Forms, which existed before everything in the universe, as a sort of 'blueprint' from which to model our imperfect world.

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        His love of mathematics and physics lead Plato to believe that under the seeming chaos and disorder of the world around us, there must be an order. This idea of 'method to the madness' was reflected in Plato's belief that all of the Forms are linked together. The highest of them is the 'Form of the Good'. It is from this supreme Form that all the others derive. For Plato, the ultimate aspiration for a creature, and most certainly for a human being, was to pierce the surface of our reality, and acquire 'true knowledge', that is knowledge of the ...

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