But how does an Individual reach from opinions to knowledge proper ? . . . . Plato explains
Prerequisite :
Plato’s theory of knowledge
The initiation to get out of the cave, begins with love. He defines love as a longingness and a striving to attain the object of longing — Pure reason. Love is the force that brings everything together.
After having possessed love, and to begin from opinions and to reach knowledge, Plato proposes the Theory of Divided Line
The Theory of Divided Line is compartmentalised into layers, in bottom— Up approach.
- A — C represents the physical world and opinions C — E represents the intelligible world and knowledge.
- A — E is a continuous line, as the line passes through each level upwards, it indicates the travel from lowest degree of truth to the highest.
- Images leads to conjecture i.e its just perceiving without any knowledge — shadows and reflections
- After reflections, the individual develops a belief system of these particular objects. These beliefs are opinions.
- After opinions, a scientific thought such as deduction takes place. Here, the mind starts thinking mathematically and logically.
- Logicality leads to the ideas and forms, and the individual has now gained access to pure reason!
The purpose of this whole exercise is to reach the Idea of Good — from which everything comes from and to which everything is headed.
Idea of Good — What is it?
It is the ultimate reality, the aim to be reached by all human beings. It is the cause of the universe. It is indescribable. It is beyond speech, and thought.
It is through Pure Love, and Pure Reason that the individual can reach the perfect reality i.e the highest state of self realization and perfection — The Idea of Good.
And ultimately for Plato, to know is to be.
Next:
A Critic against Plato : What is the Philosophy of Aristotle?
