Plato : World of Ideas and World of Senses
Prerequisite :
Theory of Ideas and Theory of Forms
Plato’s proposal of the World of Ideas and World of Senses is known as Plato’s Dichotomy of Existence or two realm concept. That the whole of reality exists at two levels.
The World of Ideas is immutable, immortal and non-temporal — A place where substance or universal aspect or essence of everything in the World of Senses comes from.
The World of Senses is transient, mortal and temporal — A place where copies of substance or universal aspects or essence of what is real, exists — a place of imitation of reality. This is the place where we ordinary humans live.
Plato’s rationale for his belief in the two worlds
If we wish to know the meaning of concepts such as beauty, sweet and justice, we can only point towards the objects that illustrate these concepts. Meaning, such concepts are only exemplified and not actually found in the World of the Senses. Therefore, these concepts must come from somewhere else — The World of Ideas. As a matter of fact, there is nothing in the World of Senses that corresponds to a perfect circle, but still the concept of a perfect circle exists in our minds.
If the two worlds are separate, How do we gain access to the World of Ideas?
Plato proposes the Theory of Recollection.
He argues that human beings are souls trapped inside a body. The real abode of the soul is the World of Ideas — where it exists without a body, in a pure blissful state. Because the soul currently exists in the body, it has its knowledge diffused by the influence of the senses.
All knowledge therefore, is recollection of what the soul already knows. Meaning, learning and knowing is the recollection of the past by the use of reason.
The Analogy of the Cave
Plato asks the readers of his work, to imagine a situation in which a group of prisoners since childhood are bound and chained by the leg and neck, in such a fashion that they cannot move. They can see only the wall in front of them. Behind them is a fire, whose light casts shadows of various objects on the wall that moves in between them. The voices and sounds that echos in and around the cave are assumed to be sounds coming from the shadows by the prisoners — since they do not know anything else exists. For the prisoners, it is these shadows that constitute reality.
One of the prisoners however, manages to escape. He comes out of the cave. He sees real objects, the sun and people walking and talking — thus becoming aware of what is actually real. He goes back to the prisoners and explains to them of what he saw, but they think of him as a madman and refuses to believe him.
In the Analogy of the Cave, the cave represents the world we see and experience — The World of the Senses. The world of Sunlight and real people outside the cave represents the World of Ideas. The prisoners represent ordinary people — condemned to darkness, error, ignorance and illusion. The escaped prisoner represents the philosopher — who has seen the light, truth, reality and true knowledge.
Next :
Plato’s Theory of Knowledge
