Essay Explain the Platonic Concept of Forms - 748 Words

Explain the Platonic concept of Forms. Plato believed that reality is more than what we sense around the world (e.g. taste, smell, hear, see and touch), he believed that behind these physical realities lies a perfect version of them in which he called Forms and that the greatest thing we can learn is to have knowledge and understanding of them. Plato’s theory means that what we can sense around us (for example a chair) is just a mere shadow of the perfect version which exists in the world of Forms. The perfect version of a chair is one in which for fills its purpose e.g. to be comfortable and to be sat on. Plato believed that everything had a perfect Form, from objects such as pens and books to things such as beauty and justice. He†¦show more content†¦This can be traced backwards to every single item that is in the real world creating an infinite regression, and therefore we have to ask ourselves, how big is the world of Forms? Another reason why is it true to say that Forms teach us nothing about the real world is the queries’ of the Form of evil. If the Forms are perfect versions and what we have in the world of our senses are just mere shadows, how much worse can the evil get? And do we therefore really want to thrive to become the perfect philosopher if it means experiencing that? For example, if Hitler caused so much pain and suffering to so many people during the Holocaust, do we really want to go through that but of a worse/bigger scale in the world of Forms? And also in what form are is the evil in? In the form of famine and disease, murder and genesis or something much worse. Aristotle, another famous philosopher, argued against Plato’s well-known theory of Forms and stated that what we seen and experience is material whilst universals are only abstract projections of this. This completely contradicts Plato’s theory and so do many other philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas. However, whilst it is possible that one of these theories are right there is no evidence to support it which is another one of the theories floors. Another common criticism of Plato’s theory is that although the Form of good has had an influence of Christian teachings and theology, it is extremely difficult to see howShow MoreRelatedDifference in the Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle and Their Influence.1213 Words   |  5 Pagesteacher, grew up to ground his philosophy from that of Plato. Although, both Plato and Aristotle criticized their teacher’s works, they were also influenced by them. Both Plato and Aristotle developed their own modes of knowledge acquisition; Plato’s Platonic Idealism and Aristotle’s Analytic Empiricism. 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