Plato

1. Plato The Student Becomes the Teacher

2. Simple Bio • Born in a family of Aristocrats • Date and location not completely sure • Studied under Socrates • Was younger than most of the other students but was revered for his sharp mind

3. Socratic Dialogues • 36 Dialogues and 13 letters of which Plato uses Socrates to teach philosophical lessons

4. Themes • Father – Son relationship: Interest in the son by the father is dependent upon how the son turns out. • Knowledge is a matter recollection not learning, study, or observation • Immortality of the soul. Even an afterlife • Contrast between: • Knowledge and opinion • Perception and reality • Nature and custom • Body and soul

5. Metaphysics • Things don’t have to be “graspable” to be real • i.e. The Republic, the allegory of the cave • The senses allow us (man) to have a higher sense of awareness than those that need to “grasp” reality---not true knowleadge • Material vsSpirtual • The philosopher-king concept (The Republic)

6. The Question of Knowledge • Plato’s big question • “Justified True Belief” • Belief becomes knowledge when the belief becomes justified • Some later philosophers disagree with this interpretation of Plato’s meaning • Other Interpretations from Writings • Knowledge comes from experience of unchanging forms (Theory of Ideas/Forms) • Knowledge comes from recollection (Meno)

7. The Philosopher King • That the masses would choose the wisest to rule. • They would know good • They would use reason to make decisions • A philosopher understands the good in wisdom and would use it to rule