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Platonic
Idealism [1]
Background
to Plato's Philosophy
I. Getting
to Know Plato
We have already
a few things about Plato's life from previous sections of this
course. As  a review, you should read the following brief biography of
Plato that I have written:
To have a
better appreciation for the evolution in Plato's thought and his use of
Socrates in dialogues, you should also read the following
Although, as a
young man, Plato drew upon Socrates' approach to philosophy as the inspiration
for his own philosophical system, his thought naturally evolved as he
matured. We know, for example, that Socrates was not overly interested
in metaphysical or epistemological issues, focusing almost exclusively on
ethical problems.
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If you have forgotten
what Metaphysics and Epistemology are, this might be a good time to look
over my little text entitled, "What
is Philosophy Anyway?" |
Whereas Socrates believed
that he could arrive at happiness without spending much time considering
metaphysical or epistemology questions, Plato came to believe that such
questions were of paramount importance. He gradually became convinced
that the world of the senses (or of appearance) was deceptive and that the
philosopher needed to somehow be able to transcend this world intellectually
if he was going to arrive at the Truth.
II.
Plato's Approach to Happiness
To get a better
handle on this evolution in Plato's thought read the
following web pages carefully:
Now that you
have some idea about Plato's approach to happiness, let's see how the
philosopher is able to remain happy even when confronted with the prospect of
death:
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