Plato’s Republic: Reality is like a line
Plato discusses reality in a linear form. Plato depicts degrees of reality. These degrees increase from less real to more real. The line of degree starts with shadows, then images, bodies, concepts, and finally forms. Shadows and images are “particulars”, these degrees of reality can be experienced by our senses. The degrees of reality including concepts and forms are more real degrees of reality, “universals”. These aspects of reality are contemplated in our mind. During Plato’s, Republic, he discusses the ideas of tables and beds. To be a table, the object must contain “tableness”. I think that the degrees of reality can be utilized in a variety of different ways to benefit society, intellectual growth and identity. It was eye opening to think about what exactly makes an object labeled as “that object”. In class we discussed how we were classify Puff the cat. The shadow of Puff is the least real, Puff himself is how we would tell he is a cat is the body. The concept of Puff’s catness is the next level of reality and finally “The Ultimate Cat” is the forms that we associate with cats. How else can these degrees of reality benefit society? Can they provide guidance to identifying self and personal growth?
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