What was Plato's central ideas?
What impact did he have on the law?
2007-09-19 10:04:52 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I highly recommend you read The Republic. It is an important book and still highly relevant today.
I suppose that his most famous idea is that of 'forms', whole and complete ideas that exist apart from humans. That is to say that there is 'truth' that exists outside of the human experience.
This 'objectivist' way of thinking is a bit rigid for my thinking in metaphysics (I'm more of a 'skeptic') but in terms of social philosophy I like what he has to say a lot more. (read The Republic)
2007-09-19 10:11:24 · answer #1 · answered by megalomaniac 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
People will steer you towards Plato's "Republic", but do not stop there. If you read the "Republic", you must also read Plato's "Laws". Indeed, his "Laws" is probably a far superior work if you wish to have practical advice on government and Law.
Unfortunately, since academia is dominated by totalitarian goons, they all gush over the absolutism of the Republic and ignore the pragmatics of the Laws.
2007-09-19 11:56:40 · answer #2 · answered by Hoosier Daddy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one of Plato's biggest ideas was his cave metaphor. In which a prisoner trapped in a cave for his entire life believes that the cave is all that exists in the world. this prisoner is then released into the outside world and is dazzled by the light. He returns to his fellow prisoners and tries to enlighten them to the outside world, but they don't believe him and they kill him for blaspheming...
he also came up with "the realm of ideas" which is a hypothetical place where the ideal model of everything exists and the world that we see is a mere copy of that ideal.
2007-09-19 11:02:30 · answer #3 · answered by housewilsoncuddylovetriangle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋