The Essence of Plato's Thought in 10 Minutes - Ideas, Forms and Masses Explained
哲学とは「なぜそれが存在するのか？」という問いです。例えば、木の生命力は自らの力で生き返ります。※日本の八百万の神の考え方に似ています。一方、プラトン以降は、「なぜ存在するのか？」彼は超越的または神聖な力によって作成されたと考えました。プラトンは、国家は成り行きに任せるべきではなく、理想に基づいて建設されるべきだと信じていました。 これがイデア論の創造にとって重要なきっかけとなったのです。(English) Philosophy is the question, "why does it exist?" ->The vitality of a tree comes alive with its own power. *Similar to the idea of eight million gods in Japan. On the other hand, after Plato, "why does it exist?" ->Created by transcendental or divine powers. Plato believed a nation should not be left to chance but built based on ideals. This was a significant catalyst for the creation of the theory of ideas.
The Essence of Plato's Thought in 10 Minutes - Ideas, Forms and Masses Explained
1)
Plato is the founder of Western Philosophy. For more than 1,000 years since his ideas appeared, he has continued to influence the European world.
He advocated many essential concepts in the philosophical world, so much so that it is said that "most philosophies are interpretations of Plato's philosophy". On the other hand, Plato's ideas are esoteric, and many people struggle to understand them.
2)
Therefore, in this article, I will explain them carefully without using complicated words as much as possible. No previous knowledge is required.
The article below explains the history of philosophy in an easy-to-understand way, so it is recommended for those who want to understand philosophy roughly.
3)
What is Plato?
Plato was born in 427 BC. It is the same era as the Yayoi period in Japan.
He was born in Athens, ancient Greece, into a wealthy royal family. He had Socrates as his teacher and Aristotle as his student.
4)
Plato did not inherit any ideas from Socrates. But thanks to his master Socrates' denial of everything, he could construct his thoughts.
Aristotle, a student of Plato, tried to combine Plato's ideas with those of ancient Greece.
To understand Plato's thought, we first must understand what philosophy is. There are different interpretations of philosophy, but it is enough to consider it the study of "what is existence".
5)
The answer to the question "What is existence?" can be broadly divided into two categories. The first is that existence is "here", and the second is that reality is "made".
The ancient Greeks, before Socrates, believed that all things are born alive, change and die. This idea is close to the eight million gods of Japan.
6)
But after Socrates, from Plato onwards, he abandoned this way of thinking and began to think that all things are mortal materials and substances and that they are "made and exist".
7)
Plato can be said to have changed this way of thinking. The reason why Plato is difficult to understand is that it is natural for Japanese people to think that they are here. Ordinarily, we cannot come to the idea that the tree in front of us is something that has been made.
However, if you understand the different interpretations of this fundamental existence, you can easily understand Plato's thought.
8)
What is Plato's thought?
The basis of Plato's thought, as explained earlier, is the idea that the existence of this world is "made".
Then, to think it is made, there must be a blueprint for it.
9)
For example, if you have a desk in front of you, it can be made of wood, stone, steel or anything else, but a craftsman will imagine what a "desk" should be and create it.
Plato calls this "desired form" of the desk an idea. This is where Plato's theory of ideas develops.
10)
What is an idea and the theory of arguments?
Plato's idea is what a desk, for example, should look like.
He then explains that people make desks and exist as forms (Eidos). And the state's material, such as wood and stone, is called mass(amount) (hyle).
In other words, Plato preached that the ideal form is "NO1. Idea", and the general form that expresses the idea is "NO2. Form (Eidos)". And he thought it was made of "NO3. Mass(Amount) (hyle)".
11)
The most peculiar point of this way of thinking lies in establishing a supernatural principle, the "Idea", and the placement of "created" beings under it.
It is the idea that the world's existence is not a living thing that is born, changes and disappears but is created and exists to imitate an idea, and other things are only mass (material). Incidentally, this mass is the etymology of material.
12)
Historical background of Plato's thought
So why did Plato introduce a supernatural principle, the "idea", and proceed to the idea of "made"? The historical background of his time has a lot to do with this.
He lived in political turmoil, with the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and the ensuing civil war in the 30-man government. It is thought that Plato was displeased with how the state was being left to chance.
So Plato believed that a nation should not be left to chance but should be built based on ideals. This was a significant catalyst for the creation of the theory of ideas.
13)
During his travels worldwide, he also visited the Jewish settlements in North Africa and the Pythagoreans in southern Italy.
Judaism is the belief that all things were created by a supernatural principle called God. It is not documented that he was exposed to Judaism, but he likely was.
14)
He also visits the Pythagoreans and touches on the concept of numbers. For example, a triangle appears before us, but its perfect shape is represented by 'numbers'. This way of thinking touched Plato and thought he created the idea of "made".
15)
In summary, Plato, who wanted to do something about the haphazard administration of the state at the time, came into contact with the concept of "number" in Judaism and Pythagoras and conceived the idea of "made".
Aristotle, a student of Plato, described Plato's ideas as "pagan", suggesting that Plato had a unique way of thinking.
16)
Plato was also active in politics and tried to run the Sicilian state according to his ideals, but it did not go well. After all, Plato's philosophy was not yet mature enough to be applied to politics.
The Essence of Plato's Thought in 10 Minutes - Ideas, Forms and Masses Explained
https://vicryptopix.com/platon/
Plátōn - Wikipedia
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%83%88%E3%83%B3
[Masterpiece] Gorgias | Plato: Are people who are good at talking really good people?~A heated debate battle The strongest orator VS Socrates~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5njR7Zfr4E&t=14s
"The Apology of Socrates" by Plato - The art of living only once without regret.
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9th "Plato's Philosophy and National Independence" 2022/10/08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvx8a-kLDKg&t=1562s
Table of Contents
00:00:00 Beginning of the programme
00:00:13 The Importance of the History of Philosophy and the History of Political Thought
Observing Japan's foreign policy and domestic politics, he repeats superficial arguments.
This is because of the lack of perspectives on the history of philosophy and political thought.
00:06:01 The Japanese government repeats the same arguments
It is felt that the Japanese government is repeating the same ideas about the US turning Ukraine into a paramilitary alliance and trying to crush Russia.
00:07:59 Three stages for thinking
There are three stages in thinking: value judgments at the level of philosophy/religion, value judgments at the level of political science/economics, and value judgments at the policy level.
00:13:10 Religion and philosophy are the most important
Religion and philosophy are the most essential things for human beings, and they are the only things that give us a sense of purpose and meaning in life.
00:18:50 70% of the Japanese stock market is controlled by foreigners
As a result of the American policy of giving priority to shareholders, Japanese workers became poor, and 70% of the Japanese stock market was dominated by foreign powers led by the United States.
00:23:56 The two foundations of European civilisation
The foundation of European society is the foundation of philosophy created by Socrates and Plato in the 4th and 5th centuries BC and the foundation of natural and social science created by Aristotle.
00:36:51 Four norms of human civilisation
In the 2,500 years of human civilization, there are four norms of high-quality society: Greek philosophy and science, Christian community, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
00:39:54 Humanity inflated by the development of science and technology
It is believed that the reason for the devaluation of the four norms of human civilization is the hubris that science and technology can change the world at will.
00:44:06 Socrates, who never wrote a single book
Socrates was a strange man, strong in arguments and expressive, but in the end, he never wrote a single book.
00:52:37 Platonic and Kantian philosophies have in common
What Plato and Kant have in common is the commentary that there is a fundamental world beyond the reality in front of them and that they disapproved of simply analyzing reality.
00:58:05 Three desires drive human beings.
It is the idea that three desires drive human beings, the first being intelligence and reason, the second being honour and pride, and the third being money and sexual desire.
01:04:47 Democracy that requires popularity
In the case of a democracy, politicians have to win the popularity of the people to win elections, and the state that does so much will decline.