Platos Philosophical Contributions - Essay Example

Table of contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….3 Plato’s biography………………………………………………………………………………..3 Plato’s philosophical contributions……………………………………………………………..4 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………6 Works cited……………………………………………………………………………………...7 Introduction Plato is presumably one of the most astounding writers in the history of Western literacy and one of the most incisive, extensive and influential authors in the history of philosophy. Plato was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, student of Socrates and founder of the Academy in Athens. The Academy in Athens was the first institution in the Western World devoted to research and instruction in philosophy as well as other sciences. Plato’s works delve into political events and intellectual movements of his time while raising profound questions and tackling them in s richly suggestive and provocative manner that educates readers of nearly every period. As such, Plato’s works has been used as teaching material in varied subjects such as philosophy, logic, ethics, rhetoric as well as mathematics. In this regard, Plato along with Socrates and Aristotle played a crucial role in influencing the foundation of Western philosophy and Science. In essence, Plato expressed a sense of self-consciousness in regards to how we ought to conceive philosophy, its proper scope and ambitions. This paper seeks to discuss Plato’s contributions to the field of philosophy. In this regard, the paper discusses the biography of Plato and addresses his work in the field of philosophy. Plato’s biography Plato was born to a wealthy and influential Athenian family between 429 and 423 BC while his ancestry traces back to the last legendary king of Athens, Codrus. His father was Ariston and his mother was Perictione while he had three siblings, Adeimantus, Glaucon and Potone. Plato’s name at birth was Aristocles as alleged by Diogenes Laertius. In regards to Diogenes Laertius account, Plato derived the name Plato from the breadth of his expressiveness while his wrestling coach as well gave him that name in light of his stature. Plato had the quickness of mind and modesty as a young boy while his hard work and love of study made him a student of Socrates. Prior to meeting with Socrates, Plato had received instructions in grammar, music as well as gymnastics while he was as well acquainted with the Cratylus and the Heraclitean doctrines. After the death of Socrates, Plato traveled in Italy, Sicily, Egypt and Cyrene. He returned to Athens while at the age of forty and founded the Academy in Athens, one of the earliest known formal institutions of higher learning in Western Civilization. The Academy in Athens schooled many intellectuals with the most prominent one being Aristotle. Plato later delved into politics by associating in the politics of the city of Syracuse. Plato died in 347 BC while the details of his death remain scanty. The widely acclaimed accounts detail that he died in his sleep. In essence, the biography of Plato remains scanty in many areas owing to the lack of proper documentation of events during his era. Plato’s philosophical contributions Persistent themes One of the most persistent themes in Plato’s philosophical work is the relationship between a father and a son. Plato pays particular interest to the question whether the interests that a father has in relation to his son have profound influence on how well the son turn out. The factor influencing Plato’s concern in this theme is the fact that in ancient Athens, the social identity of a boy emerged from the social identity of his family. Plato differs from his mentor, Socrates, who mocks the social identification of a boy by the social identity of the father. In essence, Plato maintains the conventional mode of social identification by refereeing to his characters in terms of their paternal and fraternal relationships. Plato’s philosophical works as well address the theme of Knowledge. Plato upholds Socrates notion that knowledge is a matter of recollection. In this, Plato concurs with Socrates argument that knowledge is not experimental. In his persistent philosophical themes, Plato as well addresses the theme of life arguing that the soul is immortal thus suggesting the existence of an afterlife. Plato’s philosophical works as well address art supporting Socrates argument that poetry is not rational and that it is inspired by the cogitate. The theory of the ideas and Plato’s ontology   This theory forms the base of Plato’s philosophy. In an ethical and political viewpoint, these ideas form the foundation of right behaviour thus they are the base of Plato’s dualism while they enhance his demonstration of the immortality of the soul. Plato proposes an ontological dualism, which consists of two worlds, the sensible world and the intelligible world or world of ideas. The sensible world entails individual realities thus it is multiple and continually changing. In essence, the sensible world is the realm of the rational, material, earthly and space things. On the other hand, the intelligible world consists of the universal, eternal and invisible realities, which are unalterable. This world consists of ideas that exist as objective and independent beings outside our consciousness. Plato uses this theory to defend the argument that there are certain autonomous, universal, immutable and absolute beings, which are unlike those of the sensible world. Epistemology Plato poses the argument that knowledge is justified true belief. This is a crucial viewpoint that has influenced the development of modern forms of analytic epistemology. Plato holds the argument that one can only distinguish belief from knowledge through justification. In this regard, Plato associates knowledge with the nervousness of unchanging Forms while arguing that knowledge is entirely proportionate to the realm from which it is gained. In essence, Plato argues that it one derives an account of something experimentally, the views attained therein are mere opinions because the world of sense is in fluctuation. However, when one derives an account of something by way of the non-sensible forms, the views attained therein are knowledge as they are attained from forms that are static. The state Plato sought to express his notions of an ideal state asserting that the society has a tripartite class structure that corresponds to the appetite/spirit/reason structure of the soul. In this regard, Plato identifies the social classes in the society as workers, warriors and the rulers. However, Plato questions the principles of Athenian Democracy that influence governorship. He argues that instead of rhetoric and persuasion, wisdom and reason should be the core principles of governorship as well as any form of democracy. In light of this, Plato views the rulers in his proposed social structure as the individuals who love the sight of truth. He however, argues that the society’s education system ought to be setup in a way that it produces rulers such as the aforementioned. In essence, Plato wrote in support of a state that highly upholds democracy by basing leadership on wisdom and reason rather than rhetoric and persuasion. Conclusion Plato is a significant philosopher in the history of the field of philosophy having considerably contributed to the development of Western philosophy and Science. Details on his biography are rather scanty with the exact date of his birth remaining unclear as well as his early childhood. In regards to education, Plato was a renowned student of Socrates while the philosophical thoughts of Socrates as well influenced the philosophical thoughts and views of Plato. In light of this, most of the doctrines acclaimed to Plato contain significant views attributed to Socrates giving the impression that Socrates is in most cases speaking for Plato. In regards to his contributions to the field of philosophy, Plato coined the theory of forms, which suggests that there are two kinds of worlds. These are the world of material things and the world of ideas. This theory influences most of Plato’s philosophical arguments as he uses it to support his argument that the human soul is immortal as well as the existence of an afterlife. He as well uses the theory of form to explain his argument in relation to the theme of knowledge. He argues that knowledge is a matter of recollecting in the sense that it arise from the world of ideas. He as well addresses the ideal form of governance highlighting that the ideal form of democracy is one in which leadership is based on wisdom and reason. In essence, Plato is a crucial figure in the history of philosophy while his philosophical works play a significant role in influencing the philosophical views of the modern era. Works cited Ambuel, David. & Plato. Image and paradigm in Plato's Sophist. Athens: Parmenides Pub., 2007. Benson, Hugh. A Companion to Plato. New York: Wiley, 2006. Hall, Robert. Plato. New York: Routledge, 2004. Pp 43 Taylor, A. Plato: The Man and His Work. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2001. Read More