An Essay on Plato's Theory of Forms

Oona Bender
Matt Fontis
Philosophy 111
7 October 2002
An Essay on Plato’s Theory of Forms
Fundamental to understanding the philosophy of Plato is in the comprehending of his Theory of Forms. Through the allegory of the Myth of the Cave contained in his work the Republic, Plato demonstrates that there are two realms: The Visible World, that which contains ever changing objects perceived by the senses, and The Intelligible World, that which contains the eternal Forms, which can only be understood through knowledge and the intellect.
The Visible World is represented by the inside of a cave where prisoners are chained together facing the back wall. Animals and people move back and forth in front of a fire that has been placed at the entrance of the outside of the cave. Shadows of the forms are cast on the wall that the prisoners can see. The prisoners, who are dependent on their senses, then assume that the reflections that they can see, is reality. This view of reali...