Plato on Ideas (3)

Short talk, reading and group discussion on the Plato's theory of ideas (or forms), with a reading from his Timaeus.

Plato is perhaps best known for his "theory of forms" – the view that there are eternal ideas which are the ultimate causes of material things. These eternal ideas, he says, have the status of real being – they always are just what they are; in contrast, the objects which are their reproductions in the material world are forever in a state of becoming – rising into existence and falling away into non-existence.
Are ideas real? And in what way do they differ from human concepts? Parmenides says (in the dialogue named after him), if we dismiss immaterial ideas from reality, what is left for the mind to hold onto?

We have looked at the Platonic view of ideas on two previous evenings (Aug 8th and Sept 5th, but if you missed those, this evening is relatively self-contained, and we'll summarize what has been discussed in previous sessions0. In this session we will return to the question of the reality of ideas, and explore how it is that Plato thinks we contact them. We'll touch on an extract from the Parmenides and the art of dialectic as understood by the Platonic tradition – an art that moves the mind towards the "real being" that transcends mere mental concepts.
No previous experience of formal philosophy is required.

Entrance in free, but donations between £3-5 will be welcomed.

A PDF download of the extract we will be reading is available on our website together with further details of this and other Prometheus Trust's activities: www.prometheustrust.co.uk (the PDF is on the "London Monday Evenings" page.)

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