plato
... That is why Plato finds it impossible to convey the truths of philosophy in a written document (e. ... Forms in Platos Republic A LTHOUGH the notion of a Form is important to Platos theory, it is difficult to understand what these Forms are supposed to be and why Plato is convinced they exist. ... Plato comes to his view of the Forms from two premises: first, knowledge cannot come through the senses; and, secondly, we do nevertheless manage to know things—in mathematics, for example. ... In the first place, Plato claims that because material things are constantly changing[1] and "fluctuating,"[2] they are not possible objects of knowledge. ... Plato notices that not only do the things we perceive change, but so do the circumstances in which we perceive them. ... As a result, Plato supposes that we can never gain knowledge through the senses: with the competing variety of appearances, there is no sure way to distinguish the supposedly true appearance of a thing from its false appearances. Plato asserts that knowledge is infallible.[6] One thing Plato means by this is that if there is the slightest possibility[7] of my being mistaken about some belief, then I dont know it to be true. ... In our practical affairs, as Plato notes, we try to get around these problems by devising and using methods of measurement and calculation:[8] since the carpenter recognizes that the board might seem to be a different size to him now than it will later, and might seem different to him than to his apprentice, he gets out a yardstick and measures it. ... So Plato concludes that knowledge must be directed upon perfect Forms which are always the same for everyone. ... When Plato claims that knowledge does not come through the senses but through the faculty of reason, and that only necessary truths can be known, he articulates a theory called "rationalism. ... With his example of Gyges ring, Plato identifies a huge difficulty for this social contract view:[22] as Adeimantus suggests, supposing that view is correct, it will then be rational for me to abide by our agreement only because if I dont, you will retaliate against me. ... According to Plato, justice is something beyond and above the fact that individuals prefer this or have agreed to that: some pleasures, and so, some preferences, are simply bad[24] or false[25] because they encourage one to aim at what merely appears to be good. ... Plato conceives of each part of such an organic whole as having its own proper function, with the various parts so interrelated that it is in the interest of all that each part perform its proper function. ... (Of course, an empiricist might retort that the trouble with Plato is that, like other college presidents, he was subject to a state of wistful dreaming—about a community without querulous factions.) I want you to see, then, how the various political measures endorsed by Plato—state censorship, the states determining the true interests of its citizens, citizens being required to practice their special jobs irrespective of their desires, the states rigid control over the family life and the reproduction of its citizens—all make sense given Platos theory of rationalism. ... [30] For Plato, good literature must be effective in preaching the correct messages. ... ) Consider the problem, then, of someone—call him Citizen Ralph—who is not a potential philosopher-ruler (and given what Plato says, I imagine most of us are in his position); assuming Platos theory to be correct, how is he supposed to assess the claims of someone, call her "Sophie," who puts herself forward as qualified to be ruler? ... Of course, even opponents of Plato will concede that there is a need in any state or any society for its citizens to trust officials and each other in order that the state or society can function effectively. ... So now that you have studied Plato, perhaps you might want to consider carefully the views of John Stuart Mill, whom I mentioned earlier.