Understanding Plato: Reality, The Soul, and Politics
Plato’s Philosophy: Background and Context
Historical Setting in Athens (5th-4th Centuries BCE)
Plato’s work originates in Athens during the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, a city shaping philosophical thought. Influenced by the Presocratics and the Sophists, reason began to challenge myth as the primary means of explaining the world, spurred by contact with other cultures through trade.
Democracy, established by Pericles, was spreading from Athens to other Greek cities. It was based on isonomy, meaning all Athenian citizens had equal political rights. However, only free men (approximately 10% of the total population) were considered citizens.
Plato viewed democracy critically, arguing that it allowed individuals to interpret laws according to self-interest, leading to disorder. He contrasted this with his concept of an ideal state ruled by philosopher-kings.
Influence of Socrates and the Sophists
Plato engaged passionately with the issues raised by the Sophists but was primarily a disciple of Socrates. From Socrates, he inherited the conviction that human beings can attain universal, necessary, and immutable knowledge, and that reason is the instrument for achieving it.
Plato also adopted Socrates’ deep concern for human conduct and ethics.
Political Concerns
This ethical concern heavily influenced his political philosophy, leading him to propose a model of state organization that stood in stark contrast to the democratic system existing in Athens at that moment. He advocated for what might be termed the “rule of intelligence,” where power is held by philosophers or rulers who have apprehended the Idea of the Good.
The Human Being in Plato’s Thought
Plato presents the human being as a soul imprisoned within a body. The body is endowed with senses, which produce mere opinion (doxa). The soul possesses reason, through which one accesses true knowledge (episteme). Reason, in Plato’s view, should act like a charioteer, guiding and controlling the passions (as depicted in the Chariot Allegory).
Plato’s Conception of Reality: Two Worlds
The Allegory of the Cave
In the famous Allegory of the Cave, Plato illustrates his complex view of reality. Prisoners in a cave mistake shadows for reality, representing humanity’s entrapment in the sensible world.
The Sensible World and the World of Ideas
Plato posits two distinct realms:
- The sensible world: The physical world we perceive through our senses, composed of contingent, changing, and individual objects. This is the realm of opinion.
- The World of Ideas (Forms): An intelligible realm accessible only through reason, containing perfect, eternal, universal, and unchanging archetypes (Ideas or Forms) of everything that exists in the sensible world. This is the realm of true knowledge.
Plato argues for the real existence of the Ideas, asserting that without them, true knowledge and science would be impossible.
Knowledge and the Ascent to Truth
Opinion vs. True Knowledge
Humans, bound like the prisoners in the cave, typically only perceive the sensible world, mistaking appearances for reality. However, the only true knowledge exists in the World of Ideas.
The Philosopher’s Journey
It is the philosopher’s duty to break free from the chains of ignorance, ascend out of the cave (the sensible world), and gradually learn to perceive the Forms. This ascent requires significant effort and intellectual discipline, culminating in the contemplation of the highest Form: the Idea of the Good.
While perceiving the sensible world is effortless, grasping the Ideas, especially the Idea of the Good, is a long and arduous process. Yet, Plato insists it is indispensable for individuals to behave morally in both their private and public lives.
Plato’s Political Philosophy: The Ideal State
The Role of the Idea of the Good
Plato’s philosophy has a dual motivation: guiding ethical human behavior and organizing the state justly. The Idea of the Good is the culmination of the hierarchical World of Ideas; it is the source of all other Forms, reality, and truth.
The Philosopher-Kings
Therefore, those who successfully make the intellectual ascent and contemplate the Idea of the Good – the philosophers – are best suited to rule. They are called to put their knowledge at the service of the entire community, guiding those who remain metaphorically ‘in the cave’.
Justice and Social Harmony
Plato envisions an ideal state structured according to function, mirroring the tripartite structure of the individual soul (reason, spirit, appetite). Society would be divided into three classes: rulers (philosophers), guardians (soldiers), and producers (artisans and farmers). Justice in the state is achieved when each sector performs its designated role harmoniously, contributing to the overall balance and well-being of society.
Reflections on Democracy
“We often think that democracy is what it is not. It is only one method. In a free society, democracy is not a solution for anything but a condition for everything.” (Juan Luis Cebrián)