Plato's doctrine of ideas: the revelation of true existence

Plato is rightfully considered one of the most outstanding philosophers in the history of mankind. Being the son of an aristocrat and a disciple of Socrates, he, according to his colleague Diogenes Laertius, was able to create a synthesis of the theories of Heraclitus, Pythagoras and Socrates - that is, all those wise men with which the ancient Hellas was proud. The original teaching of Plato about ideas is the starting and central point of the philosopher's whole work. During his life he wrote 34 dialogues, and in all or other ways described or mentioned this theory. It permeated the whole philosophy of Plato. The doctrine of ideas can be divided into three stages of formation.

The first of these is the time after the death of Socrates. Then the philosopher tried to explain the theories of his teacher, and in such dialogues as "Symposium" and "Crito", the concept of the idea of absolute Good and Beauty first appears. The second stage is the life of Plato in Sicily. There he experienced the influence of the Pythagorean school and clearly formulated his "objective idealism." And, finally, the third stage is final. Then Plato's doctrine of ideas acquired a complete character and a clear structure, became as we now know it.

In the already mentioned dialogue "Symposium", or "Feast", the philosopher, in the example of Socrates' speeches, describes in detail how the idea (or essence) of beauty can be better and more truthful of its incarnations. It is there that he first expresses the idea that the world of things and sensually perceived phenomena is not real. After all, the objects that we see, feel, try, never are the same. They constantly change, arise and perish. But they exist due to the fact that in all of them there is something from a higher, true world. This other dimension consists of disembodied prototypes. Plato's doctrine of ideas calls them eidos.

They never change, do not die and are not born. They are eternal, and therefore their existence is true. They do not depend on anything, neither on space, nor on time, and do not obey anything. These prototypes are at the same time the cause, the essence and the purpose of things that are in our world. In addition, they are some kind of patterns on which the objects and phenomena visible to us were created. And all beings who have a soul, aspire to this world of true existence, where there is neither evil nor death. Therefore, Plato's teaching of ideas calls eidos at the same time and goals.

This true world resists our "lower" not only as a copy of the original or essence of the phenomenon. It also has a moral division - good and evil. After all, all the eidos also have one source, just as our things take their origin in ideas. Such an antitype, which gave rise to other causes and goals, is the Absolute. This is the idea of Good. Only it is the root cause of not only good, but also beauty and harmony. She is faceless and stands above everything, including God. It crowns the whole pyramid of ideas. God the Creator is a personal, lower beginning in the Platonic system, although he is very close to the main eidos of the Good.

The idea itself is an eternal and transcendental unity for our world. It generates (through God the Creator) the kingdom of the eidos, the true being. Ideas create the "world of souls". He is still included in the system of true being, although he occupies his lower step. Still lower is the imaginary existence, the world of things. And the last step is taken by matter, which is essentially non-being. All in its entirety this system is a pyramid of existence. This is the doctrine of Plato's ideas, briefly described in this article.