Hume vs. Plato on Knowledge: A Comparative Analysis

Plato separates reality into two spheres: one of appearance, which is a material world, and one of reality. Plato believes “in a transcendent world of eternal and absolute beings, corresponding to every kind of thing there is, and causing in particular things their essential

Plato’s idea that there was a perfect world of ideas affected this pieces subject and the

According to this allegory, which is related to Plato's Theory of Forms", the "Forms" (or Ideas"), own the highest and most fundamental kind of reality, and not the material world of change known to us through sensation. Real knowledge composes of knowledge of the Forms only. It is an attempt to explain the philosopher's place in society and to attempt to impart knowledge to the "prisoners".

Plato is remembered as one of the worlds best known philosophers who along with his writings are widely studied. Plato was a student of the great Greek philosopher Socrates and later went on to be the teacher of Aristotle. Plato’s writings such as “The Republic”, “Apology” and “Symposium” reveal a great amount of insight on what was central to his worldview. He was a true philosopher as he was constantly searching for wisdom and believed questioning every aspect of life would lead him to the knowledge he sought. He was disgusted with the common occurrence of Greeks not thinking for themselves but simply accepting the popular opinion also known as doxa. Plato believed that we ought to search for and meditate on the ideal versions of beauty, justice, wisdom, and other concepts which he referred to as the forms. His hostility towards doxa, theory of the forms, and perspective on reality were the central ideas that shaped Plato’s worldview and led him to be the great philosopher who is still revered today.

The "Allegory of the Cave" by Plato represents an extended metaphor that is to contrast the way in which we perceive and believe in what is reality. The thesis behind his allegory is the basic opinion that all we perceive are imperfect "reflections" of the ultimate Forms, which subsequently represent truth and reality. In his story, Plato establishes a cave in which prisoners are chained down and forced to look upon the front wall of the cave. In "Allegory of the Cave" there there are two elements to the story; the fictional metaphor of the prisoners, and the philosophical opinion in that the allegory is supposed to represent, hence presenting us with the allegory itself.

In the story The Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes the perception of reality. He explains how to interpret ideas or objects in different perspectives. The story he tells about the cave could have influenced different modern day ideas. Some ideal examples might include religion, abuse, and imprisonment. Plato’s cave theory applies to all of these ideas and can show many different perspectives.

those artifacts” (Republic, pg. 262). Often time’s people may have ideas of what is the truth but are limited by what they know or the ideas they have. Plato is a realist because he asks questions instead of just accepting things the way that they are but he bases those questions on what is reality.

Plato, in addition to being a philosopher, wrestled at the Olympic level, is one of the classical Greek authors, mathematicians and the founder of The Academy, the first higher learning institute in the west. In short, Plato is one of the great thinkers in history and his contributions to philosophy, ethics and politics are many and varied. One of Plato’s main philosophical ideas is based on the idea that the world

Two of the greatest philosophers of Athens, Socrates and Plato, each gave their ideas on several issues. These issues included justice, government and education, allegories about the Line and the Cave. Also, their views could be tied into the first chapter of the book that we have. The views and ideas of Socrates and Plato had an influence on several governments that would follow their time.

Plato, being a Socratic apprentice, followed and transcribed the experiences Socrates had in his teachings and search of understanding. In Plato’s first work, The Allegory of the Cave, Socrates forms the understanding between appearance vs. reality and the deceptions we are subject to by the use of forms. In the cave, the prisoners’ experiences are limited to what their senses can tell them, the shadows on the walls, and their shackles; these appearances are all that they have to form their ideas. When one of the prisoners begins to question his reality he makes his way out of the cave and into the day light. This prisoners understanding of his reality has now expanded, thus the theory of forms; when he returns to the cave to spread the news, the others do not believe him. They have been deceived by their reality and what

The allegory not only represents Plato’s philosophy on education but his metaphysics. In Plato’s metaphysics, he believes the non physical forms are more real than the physical things inside the cave that are considered to be real. Plato claims all the images, interpretations of the forms merely participate and attempt to be forms. The physical things

Plato has been documented as one of history’s great thinkers, he was a student of Socrates learned how to think of the greater aspects in life and asking questions about life. He created a school for others to learn, to question the truth and broaden their horizons. In Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave, he concentrated on human perception and willingness to advance knowledge by looking beyond surroundings and seeking the truth.

Knowledge is a central theme in Plato’s Republic, particularly prevalent in Book V. In it, Socrates is telling of the importance of a good ruler, he comes to the conclusion that the absolute best ruler is what he dubs the “Philosopher King”. There is an important difference which Plato points out between true lovers of wisdom, and those who merely appreciate it, a difference which he says is as stark as dreaming and waking. True Philosophers love the truth and seeking the truth, they will not be satisfied with a portion of it, nor will they be satisfied with deceiving themselves into believing they know the full truth; this is like the difference between being fully awake and being in a dream. Those who know the truth, Socrates says, have knowledge.

In his book called THE REPUBLIC he tell us that the “Good”is the end of all endeavour,it is the object on which every heart is set,so this good according to him has a form,infact all the abstract ideas like good, justice ,beauty ,love etc has an ideal form according to plato.This form exist outside of space and time.This form remains permanent and is real.All that we see around us

      Plato defends a clear ontological dualism in which there are two types of realities or worlds:  the sensible world and the intelligible world or, as he calls it, the world of the Ideas. The Sensible World is the