Plato and Forms (Questions from Crown

Last updated on: December 1, 2017 at 7:59 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

Plato and Forms (Questions from Crown 2017-12-01T19:59:52-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What is real and what is an image of the real?

A nifty advantage to Christianity is that while revelation helps our reason to some sensible answers, these open us to better questions. We are left with options and a cosmos to explore. That’s why we can argue amongst ourselves and this is only a problem when we lose love as our guide.

I am a Christian, but when it comes to questions where Christians have options I am a Platonist. What does that mean? I think the world we see is real (not just in our heads), but that the world we see and experience with our bodies is patterned on something. One way of describing this is that the “real world” is a copy of an Ideal.

The easiest place to find this idea is in Plato’s book Timeaus. This book helped people see the importance of mathematics to modeling the cosmos and was instrumental in Western Christians developing the ideas that caused the Scientific Revolution. Plato often talks about the Ideal as if each object (puppies, presidents, planets) are images of a Form. All roses are recognizably alike, because they share in the form of rose. The form is the thing where we see the essence of a rose.

While this answers some questions, it raises even better ones! Here’s one just asked by a bright honor’s student at Crown College:

How do you think Plato would categorize forms: one category of forms (tree) or multiple categories of forms (birch, maple)?

Scholars disagree about how Plato answers this question. He talks as if there are forms for many objects, but in other dialogues he has his characters point to some abusurdities this causes and (at least!) one serious philosophical problem. Does he Plato believe there is a form of mud? More serious is the “Third Man” problem posed by Plato himself in his dialog Parmenides. If two men have the Form of Man in common, what does one of the men and the Form of Man in common? The Form of the Form of Man?

This could go on for a long time!

Most wonderful is noting how Plato was willing to subject his best ideas to criticism. Since he was the best living thinker, he subjected his ideas to his own criticism! Some readers think Plato abandoned the idea of forms after Parmenides, but Timeaus was written after Parmenides (almost surely) and Timaeus assumes a theory of forms. Others suggest Plato ended up confused, unsure how to answer the complaint he had raised.

I think the examples of forms such as trees are to help us get the general idea, but do not mean Plato thinks there are forms for trees or any other object (puppies, presidents, or planets!). There is only one form for Plato, the Good or The One and that Form gives shape to all of our “reality.” The difference between objects comes to be in the way matter responds to the Good, the time the matter responds, and the place where the matter is located.

The Good is what gives form to all the cosmos and that Good is either God Himself or exists as an idea in the Mind of God. Thanks be to God, the craftsman who gives matter shape!

————————-
*The remarkable chair of the Honors Program had some questions for me based on my book When Athens Met Jerusalem. If I get to them all, there are twenty-two questions. Here is: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9.

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

October 26, 2017

Fake Heroism versus Real Heroism

Next Post

October 27, 2017 Get Your Head Right: Everything Else Follows

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the first book of the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Luke Mark John Matthew

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »