Republic Books 6-7: Plato's Theory of Forms (Sun, Divided Line, and Allegory of the Cave)

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A corresponding essay can be found on my blog: http://premieretat.com/republic-books-6-7-platos-theory-of-forms-the-sun-the-divided-line-and-the-allegory-of-the-cave/

In this video, we turn to books 6 and 7 of the Republic to explain Plato’s theory of the forms through his famous allegories of the sun, the divided line, and the cave.

Plato’s theory of the forms has its roots in Pythagoreanism with its believe that the visible world is grounded in an unseen world of number. Plato expands upon the Pythagorean tradition in two key ways. First, he claims that particular objects are what they are in virtue of participating in intelligible forms. And, second, he maintains that these forms are hierarchically ordered. The Form of the Good stands at the apex of this hierarchy and is crucial to Plato’s account.

He tries to explain the Form of the Good by drawing an analogy to the sun. Just as the light of the sun mediates between our visual faculties and sensible objects, allowing us to perceive the world, so too does the Form of the Good mediate between our minds and the intelligible forms. And, just as the sun gives sustenance to life on earth, so too does the Form of the Good give being to all the other forms. This idea that the Form of the Good is an ultimate bestower of Being that is itself is beyond Being was important for later Neoplatonists and Christian mystics such as John Scottus Eriuegena.

Plato further elaborates his theory through the illustration of the divided line. He asks us to draw a line and divide it into four sections, and he takes metaphysics and epistemology to be subject to a similar fourfold division.

Finally, he sets forth the famous allegory of the cave and draws some conclusions from it about the true goal of education and its proper pedagogical method. Ultimately, his view of education resembles what religions call repentance--a changing of one's mind and direction of life from what is below to what is above.

The images used in this video were either created by me or are in the public domain. They can be found here:

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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Platon_Cave_Sanraedam_1604.jpg

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Видео Republic Books 6-7: Plato's Theory of Forms (Sun, Divided Line, and Allegory of the Cave) канала Premier État Philosophy