Plato s Levels Of Reality - 1972 Words

Final Essay: Plato’s Levels of Reality 1. Introduction Plato, arguably one of the most famous philosophers in history is known for his dialogues and theory of Forms. The theory of Forms argues that ideas (non-physical forms) are more real than tangible objects or what our senses perceive. According to Plato, there is the visible realm and intelligible realm. Reality could be divided into three different levels; the level of appearances, the real level, and the ideal level which he explains through the analogy of the ‘Divided Line’ in The Republic. By viewing reality in this bifurcated way, it is still philosophically useful to an extent as it provides different perspectives to worldly problems. It forces humans to critically evaluate their knowledge, along with ethical and practical considerations and practices When adopting this view, it should be done so with caution as there are still some flaws within this way of thinking. 2. Main Body An extension of the Sun simile where Plato attempts to explain ‘goodness’ and the nature of reality and knowledge, the ‘Divided Line’ extrapolates on the relationship between the two realities and their corresponding knowledge. The line is divided into two unequal parts – the smaller part would be the ‘Visible Realm’ while the larger part would be the ‘Intelligible realm’. The two parts are then divided into two unequal parts again of the same ratio – the smaller part of the ‘Visible realm’ is labelled ‘Shadows and Images’ whileShow MoreRelatedQuestions On World Philosophy By Plato, Maria Montessori, And John Dewey1276 Words   |  6 PagesPaper Mikala: I ask you this, what is Knowledge? Plato: Knowledge is Virtue. Maria Montessori: Knowledge is what we observe. John Dewey: Knowledge is the active adaptation of a person based on their environment. This is an example of the Socratic dialog laid out by Plato. 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