Transmigration Of The Soul: Plato & # 8217 ; s Theory Of Human Knowledge Essay, Research Paper

Plato contended that all true cognition is remembrance. He stated that we all have innate cognition that tells us about the things we experience in our universe. This cognition, Plato believed, was gained when the psyche resided in the unseeable kingdom, the kingdom of The Forms and The Good.

Plato & # 8217 ; s theory of The Forms argued that everything in the natural universe is representative of the ideal of that signifier. For illustration, a tabular array is representative of the ideal signifier Table. The signifier is the perfect ideal on which the physical tabular array is modeled. These signifiers do non be in the natural universe, as they are perfect, and there is nil perfect in the natural universe. Rather the signifiers exist in the unseeable kingdom, the kingdom of The Good.

When the psyche resided in the unseeable kingdom, it experienced these perfect signifiers and retained that cognition. However, when the psyche is born into the natural universe, it forgets that cognition. In this universe, the psyche has no experience of flawlessness, and, hence, can non retrieve the signifiers. Yet, when the psyche is confronted with something resembling the signifiers, it recollects what it one time knew. We call this acquisition, but Plato believed it is really remembrance.

For illustration, when we see two sticks that are the same length, we say that they are equal. Yet, there is nil in the natural universe that shows us true equality. Therefore, we must hold had cognition of the thought of equality before we entered this universe. When we see the two sticks of the same length, it triggers the remembrance of the thought of equality.

Hence, Plato argues that our psyche, before it entered this universe, had cognition of the signifier of equality when it was a portion of the unseeable kingdom. Upon come ining this universe, this cognition was forgotten and had to be recollected. Therefore, all cognition of the signifiers, such as equality, justness, etc. is recollected.

However, in turn outing that what we call larning is really remembrance, Plato besides proved that the psyche is immortal. As was stated, there is no illustration of true flawlessness in our universe. Yet, we can conceive of the thought of flawlessness. Where could this thought come from if we have non experienced it in our universe? We must hold experienced it at some point if the thought is within us.

Therefore, Plato argued that the psyche must hold existed outside of the natural universe. In order for this to be so, it must be immortal, populating before it came into this universe. It merely stands to ground, Plato contended, that it must go on to be after it lea

degree Fahrenheits this universe. How else would it hold been in being before it came into this universe? Plato believed that it was a rational premise that our psyche must go on to be even after our decease.

Whether Plato believed that the psyche migrates from one life-time to another, one organic structure to another, some would state is ill-defined. However, I believe that the thought of remembrance tilts to a great extent on the premise that the psyche is shacking within the unseeable kingdom before it comes into being in the physical kingdom.

If the psyche migrates from one organic structure to another at one individual & # 8217 ; s decease and another & # 8217 ; s birth, so we would still hold no account for the psyche & # 8217 ; s cognition of the signifiers. For wouldn & # 8217 ; t the old life have been spent in the natural universe, merely as this life is? As has already been argued, there is nil perfect in this universe and, hence, no manner of spoting the true signifiers. Therefore, if the psyche resided in this physical universe in its old life, where would it hold gained cognition of the signifiers?

Therefore, I believe that Plato & # 8217 ; s purpose was that the psyche resides within the unseeable kingdom until its birth into the natural universe. It is while it resides within this kingdom and experiences the flawlessness of the signifiers and The Good, that it additions true cognition. This true cognition is remembered when the psyche experiences, within the natural universe, something resembling the ideal signifiers.

It follows, hence, that when the psyche leaves the organic structure at decease, it must return to the unseeable kingdom, the kingdom of the Forms and The Good. Plato argued that this was the desire of every psyche, to recover cognition of the perfect kingdom and to be reunited with The Good.

Therefore, in reasoning his theory of remembrance, Plato proved that there is no true acquisition in this universe ; there is merely remembrance of the cognition the psyche had old to this life. He besides proved that the psyche is immortal, in that it must hold existed before this life in order to hold cognition of the signifiers. Finally, Plato showed that the psyche does non for good shack within one organic structure and decease when that organic structure dies. It must be separate from that organic structure and go on to be after that organic structure & # 8217 ; s decease. Take together, these three points make up Plato & # 8217 ; s theory on the transmigration of the psyche.

Plato. & # 8220 ; Phaedo. & # 8221 ; Plato: The Last Days of Socrates. Translated by Hugh Tredennick and Harold Tarrant, 108-191. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, Ltd. , 1993.

Plato. Republic. Translated by G.M.A. Grube, revised by C.D.C. Reeve. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. , 1992.