Plato's Influence on Medieval Thought
Plato's Influence on Medieval Thought
Introduction
Plato was born in 428/427 BCE in Athens, Greece. He was a Greek philosopher and Socrates’ student. Plato founded the Academy and best known for his efforts in philosophical works depicting unparalleled influence. Building on various demonstrations by individuals like Socrates that those considered as experts in every ethical matter did not have proper understanding necessary for a prompt human life, Plato came up an idea that the mistake were caused by their lack of proper engagement with a class of identities that he referred to as forms. Key examples of these forms include equality, beauty, and justice (Armstrong, 1967).
In the course of his career and works, Plato devoted specialized attention to the entities. His conception concerning the entities was that they were accessible to the mind alone. Additionally, he conceived that these entities were the most important components of reality that underlie the existence of a sensible world and providing it with utmost intelligibility. As he grew up, Plato was among the circle that was around Socrates. The works of Plato were referred to as Socratic. They represented the sort of historical things that Socrates undertook (Armstrong, 1967). After Socrates dying, Plato traveled widely across Egypt, Italy, and Greece to extend his works.
One of the most essential works of Plato was the formation of the Academy. Additionally, Plato had great influence during the medieval age. His works extended across different fields one of which was Theology. His philosophies concerning subjects in the existence of the universe and the society presented important relationships to theology. Plato influenced theology by relating his conception on the entities to the postulations of theology. Formation of the Academy had great influence on the medieval Christianity. For instance, his teachings extended into the Christian writers. They used the thoughts of Plato to explain and defend the tradition of the Church and the teachings of the Bible. St. Augustine of Hippo is one of the medieval Christians who adopted these teachings.
Thesis Statement and Argumentation
Various individuals played major roles on the influence of the philosophical thought during the medieval era. These individuals impacted other significant figures during the early medieval era up to the 12th century. Some of the influenced significant figures include Peter Abelard, Anslam of Canterbury, Boethius and Augustine of Hippo. One of these influential individuals during that period was Plato. Plato was at the center of influence in the 12th Century during the rise of universities because of his works in Bonaventure, William of Ockham, John Duns Scotus, Thomas Aquinas, Gerard of Cremona, Dominic Gundissalinus and John of Spain (Armstrong, 1967). Since most of Plato’s works had major influences on the works and perceptions of other theologians in the middle ages, it is arguable that he was the most influential individual on the philosophical thought during the entire medieval era.
Plato was an essential figure during the medieval age because of his many works. The messages depicted in most of his works played an important role in influencing the conception of other theologians. The influenced individuals adopted the concepts of Plato in his works, which extended throughout the medieval era. Plato used the three entities in most of his works (Kristeller & Mooney, 1979). These entities are what most of the other individuals drew their understanding and examples while producing their works. These entities were influential throughout the medieval era. The medieval Christians like Bonaventure and William of Ockham employed these entities.
In order to understand why Plato was the most influential figure of philosophical thought during the medieval period, it is essential to identify his various works and experiences. There is no accurate date that depicts the birth and death of Plato because there were no enough existent evidences to specify the dates. However, evidences have pointed out that he was born in around 428/427 BCE and died in 348/347 BCE. Moreover, he was born between May and June in a politically active and wealthy family in Athens. Others have suggested that he was born in one of the Saronic Islands of Greece located close to Athens, known as Aegina.
In his early life, Plato acquainted himself with Socrates and developed an attachment and fondness towards him because of Socrates’ noble character and wisdom. Socrates died when Plato was twenty-seven years old for failure to believe in the Gods of the cities and for corrupting the young (Kristeller & Mooney, 1979). Plato was affected by the death of Socrates, and it made him realize that there was no place for an individual with a conscious in the politics of the societies.
After the death of Socrates, Plato decided that the only place to have governments, and exercise administration was within the environs of the school. At forty-one years of age, Plato founded and established a school based on philosophy and wisdom, known as the Academy. This school became the most influential in the ancient world. The goal of Plato in establishing the academy was to change the thoughts and perceptions of his students and of the entire humankind to the unchanging and external truths that were existent behind the prevalent material world (Kristeller & Mooney, 1979). From the characteristic of Plato, he had a lifelong conviction that that was his imperative duty as a philosopher. His highest moments of personal happiness would surface in the life of serene contemplations of truth to create the supreme fellows as legislator and political leader if opportunities offer. Individuals like John of Spain to reiterate the importance of truth in Christianity used these high moments.
Plato had a belief that mathematics formed the highest of thought that then mind was capable. In most of his life, Plato remained at the Academy, writing, preaching and teaching his works. Today, it is known that about thirty-six of the works of Plato survived. Plato derived some of his works from Socrates because Socrates did not leave behind any writings. For instance, the Apology bases on Socrates’ trial. Plato was not present during the trials but used the stories from the disciples of Socrates in his works. Plato had rational method of thought that extended to his concern for the development of ethics in his writings and works, most of which he borrowed from the teachings of Socrates (Marenbon, 1983). The explanation of these ethics by Plato was used by medieval Christians like Gerard of Cremona and Dominic Gundissalinus to explain the relationship between the ethics and the Christian teachings. Plato presented almost all of his works in dramatic dialogs, often suing Socrates as the core character. The later works of Plato focused on his ideas of the world’s nature. One of the famous later works of Plato is the Republic, where he suggests that philosophers govern his ideal community in order to comprehend the harmony of all the existent parts of the universe.
The article entitled “Being Qua Being in Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus.” By Simo Knuuttila, deals with the areas of metaphysics and epistemology proposed by Plato. In Plato’s works, he focuses two main concepts, among others, derived by his teacher Socrates. Epistemology is defined as the study of knowledge, and how someone obtains knowledge, and metaphysics is defined as the study of the fundamental nature of being, and the world, which encompasses it. Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus are two of the four great philosophers during the high scholastic period, whose works were influenced by the philosophical thought of Plato. Both the works of Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus’, although they may not always agree with Plato’s philosophical views, they use Plato as an influence to develop their interpretation.
According to Plato’s view on epistemology, the only way we are able to obtain knowledge is through reason. He states that we cannot trust our senses in order to obtain knowledge because our senses are constantly changing. In order for knowledge to be true, it must be faultless, and our senses represent only a perception of what knowledge is (Knuuttila, 1986). Plato’s view on Metaphysics is directly related to his view on epistemology, due to the fact he believes nothing we experience with our senses are real because our senses are forever changing, and the reality is changeless. Therefore, according to Plato reality can only be uncovered by intellect (Knuuttila, 1986).
It is arguable that Thomas Aquinas’ view on epistemology uses the same themes proposed by Plato, such as sense and reason. However, Thomas Aquinas does not share the same view as Plato on these issues. Thomas Aquinas expands on Plato’s views, by stating he believes all our knowledge stems from our perception of senses (Knuuttila, 1986). Thomas Aquinas, nonetheless, shares an Aristotle and Platonic view on Metaphysics. In his work “de ante et essential”, Thomas shares his view on the nature of being, he shares the same Platonic and Aristotle by stating “individuals of the sublunary world could be classified into natural classes or species on the basis of their qualities. In this approach the invariant structure of the empirical world is seen as consisting of unchangeable bundles of qualities which are always exemplified and which belong to the objects they qualify as long as those objects exist (Knuuttila, 1986, pp.201).” Both Thomas Aquinas and Plato shared the view on metaphysics when discussing the nature of being is unchanging.
Like Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus also agreed with Plato’s View on Metaphysics. John Duns Scotus followed the idea of "being qua being “proposed by Aristotle, which focuses on the study of what it is to be understood as a being. In one of the most famous works written by John Duns “university of being”, he describes existence as a complex concept, and this concept should be able to be applied to every being in existence (Knuuttila, 1986). In his works, he also focuses on how to categorize different characteristics of the same being, and defines what it means to be an individual. John Duns Scots describes a platonic view in his works when describing what it means to be a being, because like Plato, he states that in order to be considered a being means you must have intellect (Knuuttila, 1986).
Another important area to note the importance of Plato on medieval thought is his influence on the medieval theories of esthetics. The scholars and philosophers who existed during the medieval period played major roles in concerning medieval esthetics during that period. In the medieval esthetics, symbolism, light, and the proportion were essential (Maurer, 1982). The medieval thinkers including Plato had significant influences on the medieval thought of esthetics. During the medieval period, the philosophy of Plato had a noticeable presence, especially with the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius and Augustine.
Plato had a distinct doctrine of Forms that was particularly silent. His philosophical form encompassed various entities. According to Plato, there existed an appropriate Form of Beauty that the beautiful things participated. For the thinker like Pseudo-Dionysius, the platonic forms, including the form of Beauty were ideas in God’s mind. However, Plato had more focus on the material world than the spiritual world. As such, his forms influenced the thinkers to suggest that all the beautiful things participated in the beauty of God (Maurer, 1982). That is; the Plato’s philosophies of firms and entities influenced the thinkers and the subsequent theories in esthetics.
The most significant contribution of Plato to the medieval thought of esthetics was his notion of imitation or mimesis. Mimesis originated from the idea that the beautiful things were mere replicas of the Beauty itself. As such, his conception was that the beautiful things participated in the forms through imitation. Additionally, the idea and thoughts of Plato were that artists could only imitate the sensible actions or objects, which are by themselves, imitations of other forms. From his view, such imitations would result from a lack of understanding or knowledge of the forms and its entities.
Another aspect of importance in medieval thought of esthetics that Plato had concern was the socially corrosive influence of imitation. The concern is more pronounced in the connections between staged tragedies and poetry. For instance, if the youths incline themselves to watch the prosperity of evil men in plays, they will develop an interest to become evil (Maurer, 1982). In his book the Republic, Plato depicts that for that reason, there has to be an end to such stories or plays lets they compel the youth to develop strong inclination towards doing evil in the society. The concern of Plato on the effects of art on people was another influence to the medieval philosophers. His concern influenced the medieval philosophers to develop concern and focus more on these effects.
Plato’s theory of forms makes it possible to comprehend sympathetically the argument or claim that his forms had greater reality than the sensible particulars. However, his claim does not suggest that the realm of argument fails to exist or only exist partially or incompletely. His fundamental entities presented individual with various reasons to follow his philosophies. Plato gave extensive examples and suggestions of his philosophies. Through his students such as Aristotle, Plato preached the importance of the fundamental entities to individuals.
Plato had a sense of belief and understanding of the material word than the spiritual world. He used the nature of the world through practical subjects such as mathematics and political science among others to depict the importance of the material world (Taylor, 1960). Formation of the Academy had significant impacts during the medieval stage because his teachings influence the medieval philosophers and thinkers to develop perceptions and conceptions concerning the concepts presented in Plato’s theory of forms. However, Plato had a great impact on the medieval Christianity. His thoughts on entities and ethical issues influenced the medieval Christians to develop their biblical teachings along the lines.
Conclusion
Plato concerned himself with the moral and esthetic properties such as goodness, beauty, and justice. These properties influenced the understanding of individuals and philosophers during the medieval era. They inclined their thinking towards these properties and developed teachings around these properties. Plato traveled in various regions across Greece to preach about his philosophies and teach people concerning the same. He was most influential during this medieval stage because many individuals and philosophers were emerging in Greece, and there was a need to evaluate the viability of the arguments in each philosophical thought.
His teachings and philosophies influenced the Medieval Christians to adopt their teachings on the Bible and Christianity following the teachings. Plato maintained an interpretation of the forms as prompt exemplars of his philosophies. The super-exemplification of the interpretation of participation provides natural ways of understanding notions of purity of the firms and self-predication of the forms. These elements influenced people to develop avenues of dealing with the problematic situations that required the exemplification of the forms such as including all forms in exhibiting and being promoting unity. From his teachings and writings, Plato received great importance during the medieval stage. He wrote down his teachings on forms, entities, and incorporated the teachings of Socrates in some of his works. As such, people had access to the useful material and philosophies that Plato, as well as Socrates, was teaching (Taylor, 1960). Plato was the most influential individual of medieval though because he played a role in the preservation of information by writing in various ways. Additionally, he introduced learning through his Academy.
References
Armstrong, A. H. (1967). The Cambridge history of later Greek and early medieval philosophy. London: Cambridge U.P.
Knuuttila, Simo. "Being Qua Being in Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus." The Logic of Being 28: 201-22. 1986. Print
Kristeller, P. O., & Mooney, M. (1979). Renaissance thought and its sources. New York: Columbia University Press.
Marenbon, J. (1983). Early medieval philosophy: (480 - 1150); an introduction. London [u.a.: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Maurer, A. A. (1982). Medieval philosophy (2nd ed.).
Taylor, A. E. (1936). Plato: The man and his work. New York: The Dial Press, Inc.
