Plato's Theory of Forms

... Plato's Theory of Forms a) Explain Plato's theory of Forms In many of his dialogues, Plato mentions supra-sensible entities he calls "Forms" (or "Ideas"). So, for example, in the Phaedo, we are told that particular sensible equal things-for example, equal sticks or stones are equal because of their "participation" or "sharing" in the character of the Form of Equality, which is absolutely, changelessly, perfectly, and essentially equal. Plato sometimes characterizes this participation in the Form as a kind of imaging, or approximation of the Form. Plato believed that behind everything there was an unseen reality called a 'Form'. A form is basically an idea of something, for example; there is a form of beauty, and there is a form of a cat. People have a different idea of beauty but they all recognise it as beauty. The form of beauty is different from our ideas of what beauty is, it exists separately from

want to read more? →