Surely you must have lived a platonic love, right? Platonic love is that person you wanted so much, but knew you would never have for yourself. Did you know that this expression comes from the work of the Greek philosopher Plato?
The world of ideas, the myth of the cave, the way we don't physically fight (or at least we shouldn't...) after a disagreement... All this was studied and proposed by this important thinker.
Get to know who Plato was and what his main ideas are!
Who was Plato?
Plato was a Greek philosopher and mathematician known as one of the founders of modern philosophy and founder of the Academy of Athens, the first university in the Western world.
Alongside his mentor, Socrates, and his pupil, Aristotle, Plato is considered one of the pillars of natural philosophy and science. Among his main works are “A República” and “Banquet”. He was so important that almost all of his writings have stood the test of time.
The Greek Plato was born in 428 BC in Athens and died around 348 BC in the same city. It is said that he remained lucid and wrote until he was 80 years old, when he died of natural causes.
Plato's cave
One of Plato's best-known teachings is the myth of the cave, which tells the story of prisoners who live chained in a cave lit by a fire and see only the shadows of people passing behind on the walls. They therefore cannot see them, so they believe that all there is is the cave and the shadows that pass there.
The story tells that one of the prisoners managed to free himself, left the cave and understood that there were other people and that the shadow world was not the real world, but an illusion. Therefore, after visiting the real world, he is faced with a dilemma: return to the cave and tell everything he has seen, at the risk of being harassed and called crazy, or simply forgetting his people and continuing to live in the world he discovered. ?
Published in the book “A República”, the myth of the cave is a set of metaphors. The prisoners of the cave are us, who live with limited knowledge and vision. The cave is a metaphor for our body and our senses, which, according to Plato, are misleading knowledge.
The shadows that appear in the cave represent the distorted way we see the world. The act of freeing ourselves and leaving the cave means recognizing our limitations and going in search of true knowledge. Ultimately, is the final dilemma trying to spread knowledge and being judged and harassed for it, or unfairly keeping everyone in the dark?
Plato's main ideas
In addition to the cave myth, Plato is known to have conspired with many other important ideas for the development of philosophy and humanity.
He is the “founder”, for example, of the way we debate to this day, called by him the dialectic. According to him, whenever two ideas conflicted (thesis and antithesis), instead of an endless discussion or, worse, a fight, it was necessary to reach a conclusion (synthesis), a kind of middle ground.
Another very important idea of ​​his work is known as idealism. According to Plato, everything we see, touch, smell, taste, or hear (the senses) is misleading and delusional, leading us to the wrong conclusions. For him, the only true knowledge is what we arrive at by thinking (intellectual).
And another famous theory of his comes from this idea: the World of Ideas. As we are deceived by our senses, according to him, the non-physical world, the world of ideas, which only exists in our mind, is the only possible perfection, since everything in the real world is imperfect because we understand through senses.
Ah, did you know that it is from this idea of ​​perfection being possible only in the world of ideas that the expression “platonic love” came about? It is like this because we imagine in our mind that everything will be good and perfect with that person (world of ideas), but this does not find an echo in reality because this love does not materialize. It hurts, doesn't it?
Plato's phrases that marked his work
Whoever commits an injustice is always more unhappy than the one who is wronged.”
Although he who takes advantage of someone's honesty and innocence seems to come out happier and with an advantage for having been dishonest, the truth is that he leaves with a corrupted spirit, so the advantage he obtained is an illusion.
Try to move the world – the first step will be to move yourself.”
It's like they say: how can someone who doesn't make their own bed after waking up want to fix the world? Before we try to solve the big problems of humanity, we need to solve our little problems, especially the day to day ones.
An unquestioned life is not worth living.”
Who lives on autopilot, without thinking deeply about their choices and their life, are they really living or just surviving? It's good sometimes to be more rational and have the feeling that you're not just existing and going with the flow.
The book is a master who speaks but does not respond.”
Often, we look for a book or any other type of knowledge in search of answers, but we are surprised to realize that we leave the experience with even more questions, reflections and questions.. It's normal! Books are masters, but we have to learn to absorb the lessons.
What makes the boat go is not the full sail, but the unseen wind…”
Not everything that moves us is visible or evident. Sometimes, the impulses that make us move forward in life are hidden and require us more reflection and consideration so that we can discover how and what they are. Stop looking only on the surface and start to delve more into yourself.
I will silence the cursers by continuing to live well; this is the best use we can make of backbiting.”
It's Plato saying, "Talker is sick." The best way to ignore those who speak ill of us and continue doing what we do and, above all, be happy that way. Let the envious bite themselves and seek their own joy!
Peace of heart is a paradise for men."
It is common for us to seek paradise and the best sensations in the outside world and in material goods, for example, but the truth is that peace of heart and peace of mind are true paradises for us. Be at peace with yourself and go be happier!
Everything that lives comes from what has died.”
Life is an eternal cycle. The flower that was born today comes from the seed of the flower that died yesterday. Our parents will die in the future, as will we, whether or not we have our children. When we understand that we owe who we are to what came before us, we understand that life is completely cyclical.
Every man is a poet when in love."
No matter how hard, cold, or cold-hearted a person is, everything softens when it comes to one of their passions, whether that passion is a person, a hobby, a job, or anything else. It's impossible not to be passionate when we talk about what moves us, makes us happy and gives meaning to our lives.
Many hate tyranny just so they can establish their own.”
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Who among us wouldn't want to be able to rule the world and set new rules, bans and do justice according to what we think is right? The problem is that what is good for the other is not good for us, so, in our opinion, the other will always be a tyrant.
Now that you know who the philosopher Plato is and what his main ideas are, share with us what you think of his teachings and look for ways to incorporate them into your life!
