Good And Evil In Plato's Ancient Greek Philosophy

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Many things have changed since man was first made out of the dust of the earth, but the passage of time finds humanity today continuing to struggle with reality (and themselves) just as their predecessors did many years ago. Worldview (that is, one’s perception of reality) is critical to how an individual comes to terms with such things, as it both shapes and is shaped by the person who holds it. Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, is no exception, but is noteworthy as much of Western thought stems from the contemplations of his enigmatic mind. The worldview held by this philosopher is based upon a moral framework of absolutely defined good and evil, a separation between a true self called “soul” and the physical body (just as archetypes …show more content…
Out of all abstract thought, no idea surpasses “good” in the mind of this ancient Greek, and all other things, even knowledge and truth, are under it (Republic, Book VI, 508e). Indeed, all things must be under it, as “good” is beyond and superior to the state of “being” (Republic, Book VI, 509b). Interestingly, this view shows how it is this moral framework, and not the gods, that Plato reveres as the ultimate authority and basis of reality: If “good” is beyond “being,” but the gods certainly “are,” then “good” is above any Greek god. Indeed, pursuing the favor of the gods does not seem to be of any real priority to Plato, but rather seeking things such as truth, justice, and knowledge, all which stem from “good” (Republic, Book VI, …show more content…
Albeit perhaps not a definition thereof, Plato states that evil is something that prevents one from seeing the truth, which he blames almost exclusively on the body (Phaedo, 66b). This leads to the second great tenet of the philosopher’s worldview, regarding the separation of body and soul.
To Plato, the body is more or less a dirty vessel that the soul and abstract forms manifest themselves in, such as beauty (Symposium, 211d-211e). In fact, he despises the body so much as liken it to “bonds” that keep his soul from reaching its desired goal of attaining knowledge (Phaedo, 67c-67d). According to this view of reality, the physical self inherently wants those things which the philosophers of the time thought of as evil (Phaedo, 66b). Clearly in all of this, this philosopher is demonstrating that he identifies not with his physical self, but rather almost exclusively with his mind. Perhaps the boldest statement in this regard is made through Plato’s usual representative character, Socrates, in

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