Plato Case

Plato was a dialectician who viewed the world in opposites, yet his writings allow the formation of philosophical analysis. It is important to understand Plato's moral theory by first evaluating and comprehending the processes and forms that comprise the entire theory. This essay will discuss Plato's Moral Theory which is the center of his philosophy, his theory regarding forms - 'how best to live', as well as describing the pursuit of happiness.

A definition of the word form is an abstract property or quality. By taking any property of an object, separating it, and considering it on its own is called contemplating a form. An example is a baseball. If separating the roundness of a baseball from its color and weight, considering only the roundness, we are contemplating the form of roundness. This form exists apart from the baseball, on its own, in a different mode of existence, not in a certain time or place. The material object or baseball, a copy of the real form of roundness, exists in a certain place and time. The form will never change and can be found in many locations even if all round objects were destroyed. The forms are the source of knowledge of all things, and forms are the source of the reality of all things. Therefore, forms remain more real than material things.

Plato believed the assessment of an object belonged to the valued object, or the object which is valued. For instance, beauty does not tangibly exist and its attractiveness is caused by the subject and the object interacting. Thus, to call something 'beautiful', it is not beautiful because we are pleased to see it or are pleased with it, but because it is genuinely beautiful. Beauty is independent of being appreciated for the features of which it is identified to be beautiful; dependent upon external conditions and not an absolute principle. Beauty changes itself when the inner mechanisms of the observer are changed relative to unbiased conditions.

In the center of Plato's entire philosophy lies ethics. The methodology Plato gave to 'how best to live' deals with several questions pertaining to what there is in the world; where we live, how we act, how we speak and how we think. In order for us to know 'how best to live', we must focus on what 'best' is and how to obtain it. Plato believed the truth of a moral claim was comparative to the attitude of the individual. In reality, an average man has only his self-interest at heart and will follow those diktats, not an external moral standard; Plato believed this attitude would lead to moral chaos. Morality must be based on the unbiased truth and must coexist with self-interest; that is, morality must be beneficial to the individual.

Plato's philosophy places value on an objects natural essence. Plato alleged that an object or anything which had value can be deliberated and measured in a rational and significant way. However, Plato observed that implementing a naturalist approach to measure qualities and relations could cause complications. An object has no specific value at any time, for any person, and vice versa. Values can vary individually, and are perceived to show a type of occurrence which can cause an objective contradiction. Given the fact there are contradictions, we must consider and understand them even though these conflicts can be characterized as unreliable. Something that gives momentary pleasure, like an extra marital affair, which leads to certain pain in the future, such as a divorce, is not good for us. The pleasure we get from the marital affair, arises from a weakness within us. Once we satisfy that weakness, it will inevitably rise again, needing to be fulfilled again. Plato believed that all desires should be eliminated rather than satisfied.

In Plato's view, his theory of morals was objective and natural. An object or anything that has value can therefore be calculated and measured in a significant way. The more objective a concept is - the more real it is; the more objective a person is - the more genuine a person becomes. The world that we perceive with our senses can often trick us. This would not happen if the world we observe with our senses is actually an object. The objects that we do observe with our senses are an image in our minds. A person that is near sighted will see the world differently than a person with perfect vision. Plato therefore concludes that objects which are sensible like a chair or desk are entities which do exist. These forms are reliable and said to be a pure instance with an absolute value. It is these things that help us to understand what 'best' really is.

We often confuse happiness with pleasure. For a time, pleasure and sport can mimic happiness, conceivably stimulate it, but it derives from an external source -- merrymaking, consuming a feast, a roll in the hay -- once the experience is gone, so is the feeling. We are then left chasing it, wanting more. In Plato's view, the pursuit of happiness and of pleasure for its benefit will lead

...