Plato Essay Research Paper PLATOPlato was one

Plato Essay, Research Paper

PLATO

Plato was one of the greatest Philosophers in history. He came up with a process of dialectical thinking. This is a Process of thinking by dialogue, discussion, debate, or argument. In ancient Greece, the term was used literally.

Plato was a superb writer, and his works are part of the world s great literature. His existing work is in the form of dialogues and epistles. Some of the dialogues and many of the epistles attributed to him are known to be fake, while others are doubtful. In the various dialogues he touched upon almost every problem that has occupied later philosophers. The dialogues are divided into three groups according to the probable order of composition. Plato preferred that society be organized as a whole. Plato organized each part doing its part to provide for the proper functioning. The Republic, the first Utopia in literature, states that the philosopher is the only one capable of ruling the just state, since through his study of dialectic he understands the harmony of all parts of the universe in their relation to the Idea of the Good vs. Evil, not so much good vs. Evil but the Good or the Evil. Each social class performs the function for which it is suited; the philosopher rules, the warrior fights, and the worker enjoy the fruits of his labor. Those people that are best at doing something get to do it. This is called Aristocracy. This meant rule of the best. Today Aristocracy means to rule a class of people that inherit their position in life. Plato was definitely opposed to Aristocracy. Plato says that humans are composed of three parts: The Soul, The Reason, and the Spirit. They all must work as a whole to function properly. Humans consist of two worlds that of the Visible and that of the Intelligible. The visible world consists of things that are uncertain and change. So for instance the weather is an uncertainty which we as humans are can t control. The Intelligible world however is made up of things that are unchanging such as numbers and mathematics. Each of these can also be divided into two sub groups. Plato says that there are two kinds of the visible worlds the real and the unreal or the shadows and reflections and those objects that are truly there. The lower region of the intelligible world deals only with objects of thought. The world can also be divided into 2 the lower region being Illusion and the upper being Belief . The Upper region can also be divided into another lower being reason and the Upper being Knowledge.

Plato preferred the rule of those who are best suited to rule rather than to have people ruled by kings, military commanders, wealthy people or tyrants. He did not like democracy as a form of government. Democracy was what he thought had killed Socrates. Self-criticism and self-improvement in democracy because the people believe that each person is correct and that they are the ones to determine everything by voting. There is only the voting and the rule of the majority for whatever reasons or for no reasons at all. The cult of the majority degenerates to the level of the least ambitious and least suited.

In the Symposium, the most poetic of the dialogues, the path to the highest good is described as the ascent by true lovers to eternal beauty, and in the Phaedo the path is viewed as the pilgrimage of the philosopher through death to the world of eternal truth.

The philosopher’s love is always of the last kind. He is the lover of

the Good and the Beautiful.

I would have to agree with Plato on the Issue of Democracy. For Instance today they say that we vote for our president but who does? The Electoral College does. This country in my opinion is a form of Aristocracy. Those who can lead do. But not by knowledge or truth like in the days of Plato but in forms of Lies and false story s. Plato was one of the greatest people in History.