Lily Parker

Plato successfully argues that reality is in the world of Forms. Discuss

Plato argues that two worlds, one which is our reality and one which is a perfect
version of our reality. The perfect version is called the world of Forms an unchanging
world. By Form Plato meant the idea of what a thing is. A form is unchanging because
it is a concept, it is not like physical objects which change or die/end. As the Form is
everlasting it must exist in a different reality. Our world, a world of senses, changes
and this change is empirical. Plato describes our world as a world of shadows, a world
much more inferior to the world of Forms.
Plato argues that we cannot see these Forms, however there are glimpses of beauty in
this world which participates in the world of Forms, we can see this beauty in people
for example. However, good is the ultimate Form. We label things good but this does
not tell us what goodness is. Plato says that good enables us to understand and
access things. Light represents the Form of good. The implication is that without the
knowledge of the Form of good we do not see clearly, the same as trying to see in the
dark.
Plato uses the analogy of the cave, he explains that some prisoners are kept in a cave.
All they know is the wall opposite and the fire behind them. When the prison guards
walk past they cast shadows. The prisoners play games about which shadow is going
to come next etc. One day a prisoner escapes. It takes him a long time to get out the
cave but he finally does, he finds it hard to adjust to thaw sun, once he finally does he
realises that the outside is much better than in the cave so returns to tell the others.
However the others dont believe him, thy think its because he keeps losing the
games, as his eyes have adjusted to the light outside and arent as well adjusted to
the darkness of the cave anymore. So the prisoners stay in the cave.
The prisoners in the cave, according to Plato represent humans in the shadow world,
the fire behind them representing our sun and the cave our world. The shadows
cast by the prison guards are the illusions of the physical world. The escaped prisoner
represents a philosopher. The long and tiring ascent represents the journey to the
Forms suggesting its hard to reach this perfect world however when the philosopher
reaches the top he discovers the world of the Forms and has to adjust the light outside
because the Forms are so amazing. The sun representing the Form of goodness, the
most important and greatest of the Forms. Once the prisoner can see everything
sharp our souls are going back to the Forms.
However, there is no empirical evidence for any of this as Plato does not know if there
is really a world of Forms as he has never experienced it/them. No-one has ever
experienced the world of Forms and thus has no evidence for it. The existence of any
other world apart from the world of appearances cannot be proved. If there are Forms
of concepts like goodness and justice, are there also Forms for things like TV and bus
tickets or other material objects?
Goodness is a concept, it is said to be the most important Form, this must be making
it objective and subject to change as goodness is an unmeasurable concept, as good
differs from person to person, so surely only one type of goodness can logically be in
the world of Forms. But there are different aspects of goodness which must exist in
the Forms which makes it measurable, something which is impossible in the world of
Forms as it is unchanging perfection.
Plato would not have been concerned with the lack of physical evidence for the Forms
because his whole point was that the Forms are immaterial (spiritual rather than

Lily Parker

physical). Just because we have not seen it does not mean it does not exist. There
may be some tropical bird in the deepest part of the jungle that no one has discovered
yet. Just because we have no evidence of this bird does not mean that it doesn't exist.
The theory of Forms does explain why everything in this world of senses comes to an
end and yet the universe still exists.

Aristotle argues that if a man is a copy of the Form of the man than that is the origin
of the Form of man as the Form of the man is a copy of the previous Form of man
meaning that you have three men. Aristotle, in effect says that a copy of a Form can
turn out to be an infinite serious that never stopped. This would make the theory of
Forms meaningless as the ultimate origin goodness, justice and truth etc.
Plato fails to successfully argue that reality is in the world of Forms. This is because
Plato fails to give any evidence in support of the world of Forms. Without evidence,
how can he argue that something spiritual and a better version of our world exists?
Only your soul will know whether the world of Forms exists, a soul separate from the
human body, the only gap between the two being the mind, and yet we still cant
prove that humans have a soul. Plato has built his theory out of nothing it isnt
based on any concepts or empirical evidence so is illogical.