Summary of Plato's divided line and ethics.
Plato's ethics were a giant leap forward for the ancient Greeks, and human thought in general, with regards to higher thought. People continued their polytheistic beliefs along with many innovative mathematical traditions, but what they lacked before Plato was a high realm of logical thinking.
Plato, with Socrates as his guide, provides the ancient world with this realm. These ideas were so unique and so universally graspable that they have continued to live on after 24 centuries time.
Plato's concept of higher ideas was presented first in the form of Divided Line, in which he describes the ideas of a world of flux and a parallel world static in nature. In each of these respective worlds, Plato placed certain parts of human knowledge. Starting at one end, he highlighted the five senses.
Surprisingly progressive for the time, Plato claimed the senses, were nothing but illusionary (something which would later be confirmed with the concept of sensory perception). What we see, hear, feel, etc are all just cerebral translations of what actually IS. Connected to the concept of illusionary sense was the the topic of science. Plato concluded that science itself is not reliable, based on the fact that the facts and concepts of science are based upon sensory data, therefore illusionary in foundation. According to this, the world of flux if largely comprised by the five senses and the sciences.
* more later.
Plato, with Socrates as his guide, provides the ancient world with this realm. These ideas were so unique and so universally graspable that they have continued to live on after 24 centuries time.
Plato's concept of higher ideas was presented first in the form of Divided Line, in which he describes the ideas of a world of flux and a parallel world static in nature. In each of these respective worlds, Plato placed certain parts of human knowledge. Starting at one end, he highlighted the five senses.
Surprisingly progressive for the time, Plato claimed the senses, were nothing but illusionary (something which would later be confirmed with the concept of sensory perception). What we see, hear, feel, etc are all just cerebral translations of what actually IS. Connected to the concept of illusionary sense was the the topic of science. Plato concluded that science itself is not reliable, based on the fact that the facts and concepts of science are based upon sensory data, therefore illusionary in foundation. According to this, the world of flux if largely comprised by the five senses and the sciences.
* more later.
posted by Brian at 5:36 a.m.
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