Reflection #13

Plato was a famous philosopher that created many ideas about life. He created idealism along with Aristotle. It stated that ideas were the only true reality. Truth and righteousness, goodness and beauty are the basic standards of life. He believed that the world we live in is nothing but a mere copy of and intellectual and perfect “ideal” world. He believed that there are two worlds. One one that was the spiritual and mental world. It was the eternal, permanent, and regular world. Then, there was the world of appearance. The world that is derived from our senses of hearing, touching, seeing, smelling and tasting. It is a world that is unstable and imperfect. He believed there was too much focus in this sensory world. He wanted this world to be overshadowed with truth. He believed everything had universal truths and it is important for everyone to discover the truth in all things. He wanted people to reject matter and material things and accept truth to move into goodness. He also believed that all humans are born with knowledge, however it is lost when we are placed in our material body. However we have a whole lifetime to gain back all of these truths and knowledge. The place of an educator was to help all of these people regain all of their knowledge, and that is where education plays in. He wanted all of his students to have the kind of education where truth and good were the main points. He believed that everyone should have an equal opportunity in education. Girls and boys should both have the advantage of seeking truths and wisdom. However, if some showed a lack in critical and abstract thinking, there would be other methods and paths to take. He believed they should pursue careers that would focus on the practical realities of life. He also created platonic forms which are abstract entities that exist apart from the sensible world. He believed that all objects are imperfect and imitate a form. Information we gain about an object is unimportant, however genuine knowledge is reliable and valuable. He believed that things that change are unreal. Like in our education system, if 2+2=4, it is always going to equal to four. If one day we walk into class and our teacher tells us 2+2=5, we become confused and therefore it is not real. Overall plato believed that only truths were what lead to knowledge. He believed that everyone was born with a blank mind ready to grow and be filled with truths and goodness.