Plato’s Forms, Senses, and the Language of Signs
Plato’s World of Senses and Forms
According to Plato, reality isn’t limited to past, present, or future. If everything is constantly changing, driven by the law of contrasts, then something unchanging must exist. Within this constant flux, we can distinguish between two realms: the sensory (perceived through the senses) and the intelligible (grasped through intellect). The intelligible realm is immutable and consists of FORMS, which are essentially concepts.
The Sensory World Mimics the World of Forms
The world of Forms explains sensory changes. Everything sensory strives to achieve its full and proper form. This continuous pursuit explains birth and death. This endless cycle of life is an attempt to reach unchanging eternity. Since the sensory can never be eternal, this attempt is utopian. The closest it gets is its own continuous cycle.
Beauty and goodness exist eternally in the realm of Forms. Supreme beauty is eternity itself, the object of intelligence. Sensuous beauty is relative. Therefore, everything sensory is understood as an aspiration and imitation (eros) of eternity.
Sensible things remind humans of the eternity they share with their intelligence. Hence, the love of the beautiful is a natural inclination, especially for the philosopher (lover of the eternal and beautiful in its fullness).
Sensible World and Numerical Relationships
Platonism seeks to connect the intelligence and the eternal to the world of reason, framing it within mathematical knowledge. Mathematics provides knowledge about eternal forms, guiding us to the harmony of the senses through numerical relationships (proportions of the body, architecture, poetry, music, etc.). The mathematical ratio present in a sensible form equates to beauty and intelligibility. Even without arithmetic knowledge, humans can compare things to the beautiful because they are configured for the eternal. This feeling is like a silent thought beyond what is perceived.
The Language of Signs
Human language is a system of socially agreed-upon signs used to shape the communicative fabric of material, psychological, or spiritual realities.
A sign is anything that represents or replaces another reality with a communicative purpose.
Linguistic signs have distinct components:
- The signifier: the perceptible form (sound or graphic) of the sign (parsing).
- The signified: the meaning or referent (the concept alluded to) (semantic analysis).
- User: transmitter/receiver.
All language systems are characterized by:
- Double articulation (words with meaning and nonsense words).
- Medium or channel.
- Creativity.
- Conventionality or arbitrariness.
- Displacement in time.
- Interlocution.
- Self-reference (referring to the study of language itself).
Despite individual and cultural differences, common links (signs and gestures) allow us to convey what we consider true or false.
Signs and Their Classes
Words have meanings represented by logical signs or symbols. A sign consists of a signifier (anything that makes us think of something else) and a referent (what the sign refers to). A sign exists only when a mind can interpret it.
Classes of Signs
Signs, based on the relationship between signifier and referent, can be:
- Trace or evidence: A causal relationship exists between the signifier (natural) and the referent (smoke-fire).
- Images or icons: The relationship between signifier and referent is one of natural likeness (a picture of a cigar with an X over it).
- Symbols: The relationship between signifier and referent is conventional, neither natural nor causal. Examples include flags, badges, gestures, and especially spoken or written language. Meaning is the link between the symbol and its referent.