The academic field of philosophy provides the much need knowledge and introspection about the self, the society and the world. Among the many eminent philosophers of the world, Greek philosophers were among the most influential with all of their vision, knowledge and explication. Their works are still hailed as impeccable and commendable by the modern day philosophers and critics. There can be no denial of the fact that Plato is one of the foremost figures in the domain of philosophy in the entire timeline of human history of this world. Plato has been successful in leaving an immortal mark in the society and the future generations with his philosophy, worldview, teachings, and rhetoric. A close scrutiny of the life and preaching of this stalwart figure would ensure a better comprehension of his immense contribution to the world society. The epitome of knowledge and perspective, Plato, has definite views about truth, power, rhetoric, reality and voice. While Plato’s works and philosophy dates back to more than two thousand years ago, the immense relevance of his views even in the modern day world society testifies to his impeccability as a philosopher and scholar. (history.com 1)
After traveling for as long as 12 years after the demise of Socrates, Plato finally returned to Athens around 387 B.C. and went on to set up the philosophical school outside the walls of the city. There, he would deliver lectures to the students who came from all the parts of Greece. It needs to be noted that a number of Plato’s philosophical works including the dialogues have their origination in his teachings in his school. Plato went on to move beyond the established perception of Socrates in setting up his school, as Socrates had even questioned the idea of a teacher’s capacity to impart knowledge among others. Aristotle went on to join his school from northern Green when he was just seventeen years old. Plato left the mortal world after about twenty years from this time, but he had imparted enough knowledge and made a name for himself that would make his figure get immortalized in the history of human civilization. (biography.com 1)
The dialogues penned by Plato are among the most important works of philosophy ever in the history of the discourse. The readers can find the presence of Socrates in the dialogues- something that shows how Plato was greatly influenced by the eminent philosopher whose life met with an untimely end. One needs to note the fact that Plato has as many as three major works on rhetoric. These are The Apology, The Gorgias, and The Phaedrus. The Gorgias goes on to delve into a vehement attack on the Sophistic practice of rhetoric, while The Phaedrus engages in the ways of developing true rhetoric. These works are part of the thirty-six dialogues penned by Plato. In his works, one finds how the dialectic nature of truth is “remembered” through the conversation among experts. Here, in the third round of dialogue in The Gorgias between Challicles and Socrates, it is opined that the pursuit of power on the part of an individual without knowledge of justice goes on to perpetuate injustice. Thus, one can understand how the philosopher finds a common link among power, truth, rhetoric and aspects of human life. Plato draws the attention of the readers toward the difference between Doxa or public opinion and Episteme or true knowledge. He goes on to reject the transient notion of truth, and opines that rhetoric looks for persuasion while philosophy leads to the ultimate truth. Then again, Plato deals with the idea of the nature of soul and goes on to discuss about voice and the value of love in human life for the purpose of betterment. (plato.stanford.edu 1)
One of the most famous works by Plato is “The Allegory of the Cave” which can be found in The Republic. Here, Plato goes on to delve deep into the notion of truth as he portrays a number of people who have come to believe in falsity having never experienced the actual reality of existence and the world. This story shows how the people captivated inside a cave took the shadows that were generated by the outside world to be the real. When one of the people from inside the cave finally managed to escape for the place, he came to experience a world he had no idea about before. The philosopher describes how the man is blinded by the rays of the sun at first, but eventually comes to realize the actual reality of the world. He then returns to the cave to let the others know of the difference and thus change their misconception. The philosopher uses symbolic representations in this story to delve into the nature of truth and its significance in life.
The immense popularity and relevance of Plato and his works can be testified by the discussion over him on the modern platforms of communication. There is a video on the popular website, Youtube that endeavors to amalgamate the relevant information about the stalwart figure and his work into this animated video. As one goes through this informative video titled, “Philosophy – Plato”, one gets a very good overview of the achievements and perspectives of the figure in context. The video starts off with the use of ethos providing vivid details of the Athenian society and the time in history, thereby establishing the credibility of the upcoming information. Then, there is use of logos and pathos alternately in the course of the entire video. The narrator discusses about the major works and philosophical stands of Plato. It is truly intriguing to find how the video goes on to describe every concept and view of the stalwart philosopher making it simple for proper understanding doing away with the complications. The video goes on to quote from the works of the famous figure to substantiate the claim with the evidence. Thus, one finds strong use of logos in the course of the video.
This video can very well be described to be the summarization of all the life, major works and concepts of Plato. In fact, there is description about the setting of The Academy and how it went on to function for as many as three hundred years in Greece. The academic discourses taught at the institution are also mentioned. The contribution of Plato toward uplifting the society and its people in general is aptly explicated in the course of the narrative of this video. One simply gets to have a precise idea about the philosopher by watching and imbibing all the information that is disseminated in this post. One of the most intriguing aspects of the video is that it relates the philosophical concepts of Plato that were penned by him over two thousand years ago with the modern society of the world. Thus, it becomes clear to the utmost degree how the concepts and philosophical views of Plato are totally relevant and contextual even in the present era of human existence. While the video uses such parallels with the present society, it also uses pathos to persuade the audience regarding the points that are being elucidated in the course of the narrative about Plato and his works. Thus, in context of the works of Plato, it becomes very clear how the short video of about 6-7 minutes goes on to express the major ideas propagated by Plato. The audio-visual cues help the audience to grasp the subject and understand it better with the help of practical examples from present day world.
If Plato is envisaged to be a philosopher in today’s time, one can only imagine how effective his philosophical thoughts and views would have been. In the age of technological boom and ease of communication, the works and ideas of the stalwart philosopher would have been very easily disseminated all across the world, there helping people from all corners of the society to have an insightful scrutiny of their lives and their own selves. It can be comprehended that if Plato was to live today, he would have had optimum exposure to the world. Plato’s perspectives about truth, rhetoric, power, voice and justice would have surely remained the same even today. But, the impediments of Doxa, injustice, ambition for power sans any knowledge of truth or sense of morality have all come down upon the civil society to thwart the path of personal fulfillment and betterment of the society at large. While all the works would have been truly relevant, Plato would have to struggle a bit to make people understand all the negative aspects that have come to encompass their lives in this era. These problems were far lesser than that of today two thousand years or so ago in the human society.
In today’s time, Plato would take up the current issues of the society and human life to show how his theories work perfectly to explicate the condition of the human society. He would also suggest the proper methods to tread on the path of individual fulfillment and societal development. It needs to be reckoned that the works by Plato delve deep into the notion of self and also the structure of society and democracy. Thus, his teachings would surely play a major role in ushering in a holistic development by the process of pointing out the major flaws that have come to encompass the lives of people. Plato would show how the notions of truth, justice, power, and rhetoric were intertwined with one another in one way or the other. In the postmodern era of fragmentation of reality along with the ill-effects of consumerism and material culture, his philosophical teachings can surely lead people of the society to the correct path of happiness and well-being. As such, it is highly important to value the timelessness and universality of the philosophical works of the great rhetorical figure in the history of mankind, Plato. It would have actually been great if Plato was there in the present era with The Academy being the best institution in the globe imparting knowledge among the future generations so as to pave the way for a better future. Plato’s thoughts are truly the solutions to many major issues that have come to thwart the development of the society and the fulfillment of the individual.
Works Cited
“Plato on Rhetoric and Poetry.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. plato.stanford.edu, 22
Dec. 2003. Web. 28 April 2016.
“Plato Biography.” Bio. Biography.com, n.d. Web. 28 April 2016.
“Plato.” History. history.com, n.d. Web. 28 April 2016.
The School of Life. “Philosophy- Plato.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube.com, 20 Oct.
2014. Web. 28 April 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDiyQub6vpw>
