The Difference between Opinions and Knowledge, According to Plato ; Plato’s theory of Knowledge.
Prequisite :
World of Ideas and World of Senses
For Plato, true knowledge constitutes the following traits :
- It must be Objective
- It must be universal in all instances
- It must be unchanging
- It must be unavailable to the senses
- It must be accessible through reason.
He explains that nothing in the World of the Senses is absolute, and everything is changing — in congruence with Heraclitus’ saying “Everything is flux”. Plato also takes into consideration Parmenides’ critic against Heraclitus, suggesting that if everything is changing then we cannot know anything at all, and by extension making everything merely an opinion and not knowledge. Therefore there has to exist something absolute, for it to constitute as knowledge proper.
Plato asks the reader to take the concept of Justice. We may point out instances where justice has been served, but to explain what justice is or why it is just is not a task meant for everyone. A true philosopher is concerned with these pertinent questions and does not want mere examples.
The difference between opinion and knowledge is that the one who is at the level of opinion are only able to point out examples but cannot explain why it is just, This is because the individual does not recognise the essence of justice — but the one with knowledge, does.
For Plato, therefore, Ideas is what constitutes knowledge proper.
