Cyber Day; Post 13
Today, after plenty of time to reflect on our prior Western Civilization studies, we watched a relatively short clip into Plato's life and philosophy. While watching the video, we were instructed to keep in mind several questions that highlight the main points of the video. For instance, in the video, there's plenty of discussion of "The Forms", from Plato's view to modern correlations. Now, what exactly were The Forms? Well, that was the first question which we had to consider while watching.
How did Plato define The Forms?
The Forms, as defined by Plato, were the ideal frameworks in which things would exist, their ideal form. As a result of this idealogy, Plato roused his fellow Philosophers to ponder the groundwork of each perfect form so that they may be continuously taught as is, easily understood, rather than pushing a false narrative that will complicate matters. It became more apparent that this form idealogy was one of the founding principles of modern philosophy, in which we strive to close the gap between the ideal form and the reality in which we live in. The problems faced by The Forms question are those which pose a broad array of problems, such as trusting our senses and other actions that we take for granted as useful every day.
Who were the three groups in Plato's ideal society?
Along with the forms, Plato had a strong vision of broad segregation based upon occupation (as well as class). The three proposed groups were: The Producers, The Military, and The Rulers. As proposed in his "The Republic", Plato says that the individual within each group is to perform best in his designated field. For instance, a ruler should be in place because he is the most skilled in that specific position. While there seemed to be some form of criteria as far as skill goes, Plato had a much better idea (that's sarcasm). Rather, precious metal compositions (gold, silver, iron, and brass) within the person's soul should decide which group they'll be a member of. This idea that we were born with the knowledge and preparation to go into a certain class was suitably titled "The Noble Lie".
What were Plato's thoughts on women?
As for Women, Plato couldn't ever seem to decide on the components in which women possessed. Simply put, there was a time in which he assigned the value of a child to that of women. This seems odd as it is but it got even more questionable. You see, Plato never denounced women from withholding a job within "The Rulers" sector, rather he believed they were quite capable of doing so. While this sounds quite contradicting, looking at the times in which Plato lived, I notice plenty of questionable philosophies. Another instance relating to women was the fact Plato thought babies within the womb of a mother could move around the body as they please. As a result of this, disease and other ailments could mar the mother.
What was the Noble Lie that Plato proposed?
The Noble Lie which Plato proposed was a matter of several different factors; for the most part, your soul's precious metal composition. This composition of metals would decide which of the three groups (as explained earlier: The Producers, The Military, and The Rulers) you would be designated as. From a man who sought out the ablest person for a role, I personally thought this was extraordinarily contracting to his goal of a productive role. I don't understand his reasoning behind why he would seek out a capable being, yet spoil it by throwing in a person's unknown soul metal composition. All the more reason why it's important to take Plato's work as it was, guidelines for future philosophers and generations.
Works Cited:
With that said, I conclude my April 17th Cyber Post; Till next time! Stay Safe!
Good work, Nick. You stay safe, too!
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