Is Socrates Form of the Good Correct - Essay Example

Is Socrates “Form of the Good” Correct? In Plato’s theory of metaphysics, there is some kind of reality that is beyond or even more real than what can be seen. This is an aspect of the intelligible realm which is comprised of absolute and eternal entities known as forms (Santas 106). One of these entities is goodness or good, which is considered to be one of the causes of many of the things that are experienced daily in the visible realm. Something is considered to have a certain level of goodness because it participates in the Form of Good. According to Plato, Forms are the only things that can be known about, that is, they are the only things that can be considered to be objects of knowledge (Welton 20). In other words the form of the good, according to Plato, is ultimately to be treated as the object of knowledge, even though it is not really knowledge itself. Socrates, through Plato, is convinced that just gains its usefulness through the Good. I believe that Socrates is right in philosophizing that from Good emanates everything else, including knowledge and justice. Form of the Good Plato does not specifically say what the form of good is, but he does say that the knowledge of the form of the good is the most important or the highest knowledge that philosopher kings should aspire. He says “What gives truth to the things known and the power to know to the knower is the Form of the Good, and though it is the cause of knowledge and truth, it is also an object of knowledge” (Plato and Jowett 46). Socrates offers an explanation of the form of the good by using the analogies of the sun, line and cave. Socrates uses the allegory of the sun to offer a contrast between the intelligible and visible realms. He describes the sun as the offspring of the form of the good. He argues that the sun illuminates the world and makes physical things visible, thereby generating life on earth, in the same way, the form of Good can make all universals intelligible, he continues to say that in some way, Good provides being or reality to all the other forms, but good does go beyond being (Fine, 101). In other words, Good is considered as an absolute measure of the virtue of justice but is in itself a form of reality. Socrates invites his audience to imagine the state of prisoners who are chained to a bench inside a cave. All the prisoners get to see are shadows which are visibly moving on the wall. These shadows are not of people, but of statues being moved from above them but the prisoners cannot see this. They think that the shadows they see moving on the walls in front of them are real people, they cannot conceive a better reality in their present state. Socrates likens these prisoners with people who live thinking that the reality is composed of the fantasies they hear about in stories (Welton 47). Once the prisoners are released it is then they realize that what they thought were real people were actually lifeless statues (Anna 85). However, they would still think that the statues are real, just like a person who is used to the sounds and sights of the world would think that there was nothing more real than their own experiences. If the prisoners wander out into the open world, they might at first be blinded by the sun’s light, but with time, they come to the realization that there are other things and objects in the world. They will then think that these objects are real, just like a person who finally gets the knowledge of the Forms that comprise everyday existence. In conclusion the prisoners will come to look at the sun and realize that it is the source of the light that is making it possible for them to see all the objects that they are seeing; it is the source of all life and all light. According to Socrates, the Form of the Good is therefore like the sun; it is the source of everything found in the intelligible world (91). Socrates asks his students and friends to visualize a line that is halved in two and four. According to Socrates, the upper part of the halved line is a representation of the intelligible or unseen realm while the lower part is a representation of the visible realm or world. He further divides the visible realm into two: imagination and belief. He argues that belief in this case is better than imagination. He then divides the intelligible realm into understanding and thought. In this case, thought represents the reality of forms whose basis is on what is seen on the visible world. On the other hand, understanding hypothesizes the form of the good “as a first standard from which all else follows” (Plato and Jowett 148). According to Plato, human knowledge is quite limited since it is influenced only by worldly sights and sounds which comprise much of their sensory experience. Plato tries to paint a picture of another world of forms where nothing changes and everything remains perfect (Fine 105). This world in which we live is not a real one, but merely a shadow of the real intelligible one. In this imperfect world, everything remains relative, unless one has the highest knowledge, that is, knowledge of the Form of the Good, which enables him or her to distinguish between everything else. According to Plato, there is a difference between the visible world and the intelligible world. In other words, there is a separation between abstract thought and concrete thought (Ross 151). This means that everything that we hear and see is not necessarily hat is most real. Instead, what is most real is only what we can understand through the intellect. Human knowledge of the visible world is nothing short of imperfect and it is a knowledge that is always changing. According to Plato, the Form of the Good is the place where reasoning begins. For instance, if one reasons that: “There is no food in the fridge, so my wife is not around, so I would better order.” The first principle in this case is “there is no food in the fridge”. If someone was to ask why I was ordering for food I would say it was because my wife was not around. The first principle is hypothetical since it is based on an assumption that is expected to be true. It is a hypothesis based on appearances and it is not justified by evidence or facts. Plato argues that the form of the good is not a hypothetical one (Plato and Jowett 200). Therefore there is no need to justify any reasoning or actions. This means that the Form of the Good provides an environment in which arguments hold ground. Without the knowledge of the form of good, people will always be trying to justify their decisions based on hypothetical realities. Conclusion Plato’s and Socrates argument that the Form of the Good is the determinant of all reality and that knowing this form of the good is the most important and highest form of knowledge is correct. Many of the decisions that people make are normally based on assumptions that depend on what they believe the reality is. However, reality is quite relative to different people, in that what is most real to me may not be what is most real to someone else. However, when one has the knowledge of the form of the Good, he is able to differentiate between abstract and concrete truth. He is able to use the intellect to make decisions based on real or none-hypothetical situations. Therefore, the Form of the Good can justifiably be said to be the most important and highest form of knowledge there is. Works Cited Annas, J. An Introduction to Plato's Republic, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981. Fine, Gail. On Ideas: Aristotle's Criticism of Plato's Theory of Forms. London: Oxford University Press, 1992. Plato and Benjamin Jowett. The Republic. Middlesex, U.K: The Eco Library, 2006. Ross, Sir David. Plato's Theory of Ideas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Santas, Gerasimos. Understanding Plato’s Republic. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Welton, William. Plato’s Forms: Varieties of Interpretation. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. Read More