ppt-L2---Plato-21661361193_1678898984.pdf

plato theories

1. Parmenides
Sources of Influence on Plato
Idea of Permanence
Plato's Theory of Forms

2. Heraclitus
Sources of Influence on Plato
“Change is the characteristic feature of
this materialistic world.”
More influence in Mature Plato

3. Socrates
Sources of Influence on Plato
He considered Socrates the most just man of
his time.

Socrates view that knowledge is a source of
virtue=> Plato believed that if Athens has to
become a virtuous state then there is no
other option than the rule of knowledge.

followed the methods of Socrates’
dialectical methods

“All that is Platonic, is Socratic”.

Professor Maxey (Political Philosophies,
1961)

4. “In Plato, Socrates Lived again”


Socrates showed him that the philosophical life is superior
to the life of a politician.

5. "I thank God," he used to say, "that I was born greek and not barbarian,
freeman and not slave, man and not woman, and above all, that I was
born in the age of Socrates"
With Socrates' death, Plato came to recognise, that philosophy and
politics cannot be kept apart.
• It compelled Plato to think philosophically about politics in deeper and
radical sense than had his teacher.

6. Significance of Plato
•He is well known as the Father of Political
Philosophy
•“Western political philosophy is nothing but the
footnote of the idea of Plato & Aristotle” – Alfred
North Whitehead

7. “One can be either platonic or anti-platonic but
can never be non-platonic.” – Karl Popper

8. YearQuestion
2020✘ No direct question
2019"Explain Aristotle's Critique of Plato's idealism". (20 Marks)
2018✘ No direct question
2017✘ No direct question

9. 2016"Plato was enemy of open society." (Popper). Comment. (20 Marks)
2010-2015✘ No direct question
2009
Comment: "Western thought, one might say, has been either platonic or anti platonic but hardly ever
non platonic." (Popper). (20 Marks)
2008✘ No direct question
2007
Comment: " Plato's communism is a supplementary machinery to give effect to and reinforce that spirit
which education is to create." 

2006Comment : “the state is individual writ large.” (Plato) (20 Marks)
2005Comment : “the state is individual writ large.” (Plato) (20 Marks)
2004Plato’s theory of education ‘is the logical result of his conception of justice’. Discuss. (60 Marks)
2003Explain Plato’s communism and compare it with modern communism.
2001, 2002✘ No direct question
2000
Comment : “Until philosophers are kings, or kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of
philosophy, cities will never have rest from evil.” (Plato) (20 Marks)
1994-1999✘ No direct question
1993Comment : “For, no law or ordinance is mightier than knowledge” (Plato) (20 Marks)

10. Prominent works of Plato:
“The Republic”
• Young Plato
• greatest of all his works.
• Plato of ‘the Republic’ is what is known to
the world: the idealist, the philosopher and
the radical (Young Plato)
• not only a treatise on politics, but is also a
treatise dealing with every aspect of human
life.

11. • It, in fact, deals with –
metaphysics (the idea of the Good),
moral philosophy (virtue of human soul),
education (the scientific training the rulers ought to have), politics (the
Ideal State),
the philosophy of history (the process of historical change from the Ideal State to the tyrannical regime),
economy (communism of property and families)

12. “The Statesman”
Prominent works of Plato:
Written in transitional phase i.e.
between the young and the maturity.
He is bitter and satirical, and seems to be sadly conscious of the realities of human life.
Yet the ideal glory of the Platonic philosophy is not extinguished. He is still looking for a city in which kings are philosophers.

13. “The laws”
Prominent works of Plato:
work of the matured Plato; becomes more
practical & pragmatic.
Plato’s last, longest work
a mixture of democratic and authoritarian principles
Laws is not simply about political thought, but involves extensive discussions on psychology, ethics, theology, epistemology, and metaphysics.

14. Laws combines political philosophy with applied legislation, going into
great detail concerning what laws and procedures should be.
Examples include conversations on whether drunkenness should be
allowed in the city, how citizens should hunt.

emphasis on a mixed regime, a varied penal system, and its attempt at rational theology.
Prominent works of Plato:
“The laws”

15. Theory of Soul:
• Every person has soul

• Every soul => 3 elements
Reason Courage Appetite
Theories
PLATO

16. There are 3 types of people based on this
Theory of Soul: PLATO

17. Each will stick to his duty and no interference into the
tasks of each other.
"proper provision, proper protection and proper
leadership" - C.L. Wayper
PLATOTheory of Soul:

18. Theory of Ideas:
• at the centre of Plato’s philosophy
• based on Socrates theory of knowledge.
• According to Plato, "the knowledge of virtue is
the highest level of knowledge; knowledge is
attainable; and so is virtue attainable"
PLATO

19. To understand the idea, we need an enlightened soul.
•Thus, only the Philosopher who is a man of reason can
create the ideal state on this planet earth.
PLATO
Theory of Ideas:

20. • But, How the soul can know the idea?
The soul is a permanent part of our existence.
When our body dies, the soul goes in the kingdom of God
where it observes the kingdom of God and when it comes back,
it recollects.
• However, every soul does not have equal capacity to recollect.
PLATOTheory of Ideas:

21. Comment: “Reality is a shadow of ideas”. (Plato) (20 Marks)
It explains Plato’s concept of reality.
Plato "when we look at the material world we think that this
world is real. It happens because of our ignorance. What we
consider as real is an illusion of reality.”

PLATO

22. Consider this idea of "The Allegory of the Cave"
PLATO

23. Allegory of caves
Like men in caves, ignorant men consider shadow
as the reality When pushed out of the cave, into
the sunlight.
Realise that what they considered reality was just a shadow
PLATOTheory of Ideas:

24. PLATOTheory of Ideas:
Parts of the Universe
▪ Physical - Visible through Eyesight
▪ Spiritual - Invisible - Hidden behind the physical Reality -
Reason is required to understand it
▪ According to Plato - Supreme Reality lies behind the
observable reality.
• Supreme reality - Ideas - Reason

25. PLATO
•The essential characteristics of Plato’s theory of Forms would,
thus, include:
•There is a difference b/w 

• ‘form’ or ‘idea’;

• ‘knowledge’ and ‘appearance’; • ‘actual’ or ‘opinion’
Theory of Ideas:

26. PLATO
as there is difference b/w
•the ideal/invisible world & the physical/visible world.
• The form is the ultimate object of appearance.
• The actual world can attain the ideal world.
• Knowledge can replace opinion and is attainable.
Theory of Ideas:

27. • The visible world is the shadow of the real world.
• What appears to be is not the ‘Form’, but is a form
of the ‘Form’.
Theory of Ideas: PLATO

28. E.g :
What “Beauty” is ?
Realm of “Knowledge”
The “thing”/Person
which/who is beautiful
Realm of “Opinion”
OR
PLATO

29. Plato's theory of forms is criticised as:
Theory of Ideas:
Nietzsche:
“Plato was a liar when he says
that there is ultimate reality and
that it can be understood”
PLATO

30. •The nature of reality remains a debatable issue.
•According to Post- modernist, "Reality is too
complex and vast that it is beyond the capacity of
the human mind to comprehend the ultimate
reality."
Theory of Ideas:
PLATO
Criticism

31. Michael Oakeshott
In the world of politics we move in
borderless and bottomless sea 

PLATO
Criticism

32. In Republic - Plato uses dialectics to arrive at a conclusive Idea of
Justice.
• There is a dialogue among Socrates(who voices Plato’s argument)
and four
other members of Athens.
Participants are :-
• Socrates- (Plato)
➢Cephalous
➢Polemarchus
➢Thrasymachus
➢Glaucon
%!
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

33. • Justice is doing one duties
• Justice is paying one’s dues.
CEPHALUS
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

34. Fine with argument of duty.
• whether it would be right to return a weapon
to person who has turned mad.
%!
Plato’s reply to Cephalus
Theory of Justice: PLATO

35. Arguments of Polemarchus 
Do good to friend
Harm to enemy
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

36. Plato’s reply to Polemarchus
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

37. Thrasymachus
1. Justice is the interest of the strong
2. Might is the right
• Argument of power is always
greater power of argument.
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

38. Thrasymachus
•realistic view about state, law and justice.
• means might is right -survival of the fittest.
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

39. In any govt. who are in government are the strongest
whatever they decide becomes law.
• Ruling class make laws in their own interest.
• Hence when we observe laws we are advancing the
interest of the ruling class.
Thrasymachus
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

40. • Hence whenever possible we can serve our interest by
evading the law.
• In Thrasymachus we see the earliest expression
of civil disobedience.
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

41. Plato Reply
•Plato does not have a very convincing counter
argument against Thrasymachus.
• Still Plato suggest that it is wrong to think that a
state and laws are only in the interest of ruling class
and it is our duty to observe the laws .
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

42. GLAUCON
Justice is the interest of the weak.
State is a contract between strong and weak.
Theory of Justice: PLATO

43. Plato’s response to GLAUCON
• It is also wrong to think that law of state
are only in interest of weak.
%!
• State is natural.
• It is also wrong to think that law of state are only
in interest of weak.
%%!
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

44. Origin of the state
➢ State originates in the natural needs of man
➢ Man is social by nature, as no person is self
sufficient.
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

45. Plato’s theory of Justice :
• does not consist in mere adherence to the laws.
• based on the inner nature of the human spirit.
• he did not approve justice being good for some and evil
for others.
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

46. A just state is achieved with an eye to the "good of the
whole -the giver as well as the receiver, for friends as
well as foes”
•Harming someone makes him worse & purpose of
Justice can never be to make a person worse.
•Purpose of Justice: Peace, harmony and excellence
• Source of perfect idea of justice = Just SOUL
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

47. What is a ‘Just soul’?
The one which is at peace with itself & in harmony
with others.
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

48. •What does it imply?
•It implies that justice is proper-stationing in the life
& functional specialisation.
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

49. What is justice according to him:
Justice is a Duty: the rulers, the military, the artisan all do what
they ought to do.
the rulers, the military, the artisan all do what they ought to do. In such a society, the rulers are wise, the soldiers are brave, and the producers exercise self-control or temperance.

Theory of Justice:
PLATO

50. • Justice means specialisation and excellence
Theory of Justice:
PLATO

51. ➢ State represents interdependence or division of
labour.
• men of reason are dependent on men of courage
and appetite.
•similarly man of appetite is dependent on other
classes.
• each task is important and hence that should be on
mutual respect towards each other.
✓State is the individual writ large. PLATO

52. In short, 3 components of Justice
•Proper positioning of the elements

•Functional Specialization on the basis of quality of soul

•Non-interference in each other’s tasks


53. Barker
says, “Justice is, for Plato, at once a part of human
virtue and the bond which joins men together in the
states. It makes man good and makes him social”.

54. Sabine
expresses it as “Justice, for Plato, is a bond which
holds a society together”.

55. Criticism on Plato's theory of Justice:
•It does not give any liberty to the individual,

•It sacrifices individual for the sake of the state,

•No rights to the individual hence create the basis for
state’s totalitarianism.

•His theory is not only a bad politics but also a bad
psychology & Philosophy.


56. Theory of education:
•Why education?
• The education system is a process through
which the qualities of the soul can be
deducted.

•For Plato, Education necessary for all the classes
in society,