PHILOSOPHY - Plato

Summary

In "PHILOSOPHY - Plato" by The School of Life, we dive into the life and teachings of one of history's greatest philosophers, Plato. Living in Athens 2400 years ago, Plato was influenced greatly by his mentor Socrates, and dedicated his life to helping people achieve a state of eudaimonia, or fulfillment. He wrote 36 dialogues exploring self-examination, love, beauty, and society, urging people to think more, let love transform them, appreciate beauty, and cultivate wise societal leaders. His goal was to inspire individuals to become philosophers, elevating societal thinking and governance, a philosophy still provoking our thoughts today.

Highlights

• Athens, home to Plato, was a vibrant hub of culture and intellect 2400 years ago. 🌞
• Plato wrote dialogues featuring Socrates to explore philosophical ideas in a creative format. 📚
• His notion of 'knowing oneself' encourages philosophical self-examination to combat impulsive behavior. 🧠
• Plato's concept of love is centered on admiration and personal growth through relationships. 👩‍❤️‍👨
• He believed the appreciation of beauty contributes to a better understanding of a good life. 🎨
• Plato criticized Athens's focus on wealth and celebrity, suggesting society idolize wise and kind individuals instead. 🌟
• He founded The Academy, aiming to teach virtues alongside intellectual subjects, shaping future leaders. 🎓
• Plato's ideas on governance challenge the fundamentals of democracy, advocating for a society led by educated thinkers. ⚖️

Key Takeaways

• Plato emphasized the importance of self-knowledge, encouraging people to think deeply about their lives beyond popular opinions. 🔍
• He viewed love as a transformative force, urging couples to help each other evolve into better versions of themselves. ❤️
• Beauty, according to Plato, offers silent guidance towards living a good life, helping educate our souls. 🌺
• Plato envisioned a society guided by philosopher-kings, with leaders who are wise and rational thinkers shaping the future. 👑
• His ambitious ideas highlight the transformative power of philosophy as a tool for societal change. 📜

Overview

The journey to understanding Plato begins in ancient Athens, a culturally rich and bustling city that shaped his worldview. Born into a distinguished family, Plato sought fulfillment and enlightenment not just for himself, but for all of humanity. Guided by Socrates, Plato's interest in philosophical dialogue and self-exploration transformed the way people thought about knowledge, love, beauty, and governance. His work continues to be a cornerstone of Western philosophy, inspiring countless generations to ponder life's deepest questions.

Among his most critical insights is the question of knowing oneself. Plato argued that genuine self-awareness comes from philosophical discourse, allowing individuals to live beyond superficial societal norms. Likewise, his exploration of love redefined its role, suggesting it should serve as a catalyst for personal growth and mutual improvement. His works, like 'The Symposium,' use narrative to illustrate the profound impact of love and admiration on human development, promoting a deeper understanding of relational dynamics.

Plato’s vision extended to societal structures, where he critiqued prevailing Athenian values and proposed a new template for governance. He advocated for a leadership of philosopher-kings, rooted in wisdom and virtue rather than wealth and charisma. Establishing The Academy, he sought to educate future leaders in these ideals. Even now, his ideas challenge traditional political thought, reminding us of the enduring value of philosophical inquiry and the necessity for reflective, rational leadership in shaping a better world.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Athens and Plato The chapter sets the scene in Athens 2400 years ago, describing it as a city with a population of about 250,000 people, featuring important cultural landmarks like baths, theatres, temples, shopping arcades, and gymnasiums. The narrative highlights the city's warm climate for most of the year. Athens is introduced as the home of Plato, marking the beginning of a discussion about him, who is regarded as the world’s first true and potentially greatest philosopher. Plato was born in a prominent and wealthy family, setting the stage for his influential role in philosophy.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Plato's Focus on Eudaimonia The chapter discusses Plato's philosophical focus on the concept of 'Eudaimonia,' which translates to fulfillment or a sense of well-being. It highlights Plato's lifelong goal of helping people achieve this state. The chapter also clarifies the common confusion between Plato and Socrates, noting that Socrates, although a significant influence on Plato, did not write any books. Plato, on the other hand, authored 36 dialogues, beautifully crafted as imaginary discussions that often feature Socrates in leading roles. Some of Plato's notable works mentioned include 'The Republic,' 'The Symposium,' 'The Laws,' 'The Meno,' and 'The Apology.'
• 01:00 - 01:30: Plato's Big Ideas: Think More Plato believed that to lead a fulfilled life, we must engage in critical and logical thinking rather than adhering to popular opinions, known as 'doxa'. In his 36 books, he critiqued these common-sense notions, revealing them to be flawed by errors, prejudices, and superstitions. He argued that such opinions can lead us to pursue misguided values, careers, and relationships. Thus, his first big idea emphasizes the importance of thoughtful reflection on how to live our lives.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Knowing Yourself through Philosophy The chapter discusses the concept of 'knowing yourself' as proposed by Plato, which involves engaging in philosophical examination or therapy rather than acting impulsively. This process strengthens self-knowledge and helps in managing feelings more effectively. Plato likens unmanaged feelings to wild horses dragging an individual dangerously. The approach is attributed to Socratic discussions, honoring Socrates, Plato's mentor, and friend.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Let Your Lover Change You This chapter discusses the concept of change within a romantic relationship. It challenges the common perception that love means acceptance without change, proposing instead that true love is about admiration and can lead to personal growth. The text references Plato's 'The Symposium,' highlighting the idea that love should help individuals clarify their ideas and potentially change for the better.
• 03:00 - 03:30: The Role of Beauty This chapter, titled 'The Role of Beauty,' explores the concept of finding a partner who possesses qualities you lack, such as bravery, organization, warmth, or sincerity. The idea, rooted in Platonic philosophy, suggests that the right partner helps you reach your full potential by contributing to your personal growth. Plato envisioned relationships as educational journeys where couples are committed to improving each other rather than accepting each other's current state without aspiring for mutual enhancement. This involves enduring challenging times together, which are seen as opportunities for growth.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Reforming Society: Inspired by Sparta The chapter titled 'Reforming Society: Inspired by Sparta' discusses the concept of individuals influencing each other towards personal improvement, similar to the ideals of Spartan society. It suggests that people should aspire to help one another become better versions of themselves. Furthermore, the chapter delves into Plato's philosophy regarding beauty, proposing that the appreciation of beautiful objects is tied to their embodiment of qualities essential for a good life. We gravitate towards beauty because it represents truths that we subconsciously recognize as vital to our well-being.
• 04:30 - 05:00: The Ideal Society and The Republic The chapter discusses the concept of an ideal society as proposed by Plato in 'The Republic.' It explores the importance of beautiful objects and art in shaping human behavior and character. Beauty is seen to play an educational role by promoting gentleness, harmony, balance, peace, and strength within individuals. Conversely, ugliness is highlighted as a negative influence that can hinder the development of wisdom and kindness. Art, according to Plato, serves a therapeutic function, and creators such as poets, painters, and novelists have a duty to contribute positively to society's moral and emotional well-being.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Guardians and Ideal Rulers The chapter discusses Plato's philosophical ideas on how society and government should be reformed for the betterment of life. Referencing Sparta as a model, it explores Plato's concept of an ideal society, where all aspects of life are organized towards the common goal of producing exemplary citizens.
• 05:30 - 06:00: The Academy and Philosophers as Rulers The chapter discusses Plato's perspective on societal improvement, focusing on his views expressed in 'The Republic.' Instead of valuing military success like Sparta's, Plato emphasized the importance of producing fulfilled individuals. He criticized Athenian society's excessive admiration for the wealthy and sports celebrities, arguing that celebrity admiration significantly influences society.
• 06:00 - 06:30: Conclusion and Plato's Legacy The chapter discusses Plato's intention to provide Athens with new role models, referred to as Guardians. These individuals would set a standard for good conduct, distinguished by their service, modesty, lack of desire for attention, and extensive experience. They would replace flawed heroes with a focus on embodying wisdom and virtue, becoming the most respected members of society.

PHILOSOPHY - Plato Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Athens, 2400 years ago. It’s a compact place: only about a quarter of a million people live here. There are fine baths, theatres, temples, shopping arcades and gymnasiums It’s warm for more than half the year. This is also home to the world’s first true – and probably greatest – philosopher: Plato Born into a prominent and wealthy family in the city,
• 00:30 - 01:00 Plato devoted his life to one goal: helping people to reach a state of what he termed: εὐδαιμονία (Eudaimonia) or fulfilment. Plato is often confused with Socrates Socrates was an older friend, who taught Plato a lot but didn’t write any books. Plato wrote lots of them: 36, all dialogues: beautifully crafted scripts of imaginary discussions in which Socrates is always allocated a starring role - among them: The Republic The Symposium The Laws The Meno and The Apology
• 01:00 - 01:30 Plato had four big ideas for making life more fulfilled. First big idea: Think more We rarely give ourselves time to think carefully and logically about our lives and how to live them. Sometimes we just go along with what the the Greeks called ‘doxa’: ‘popular opinions’. In the the 36 books he wrote, Plato showed this ‘common-sense’ to be riddled with errors, prejudice and superstition. Fame is great Follow your heart Money is the key to a good life The problem is, popular opinions edge us towards the wrong values, careers and relationships.
• 01:30 - 02:00 Plato’s answer is ‘Know yourself.’ It means doing a special kind of therapy, philosophy: Subjecting your ideas to examination rather than acting on impulse. If you strengthen your self-knowledge, you don’t get so pulled around by feelings. Plato compared the role of our feelings to being dragged dangerously along by a group of wild horses. In honor of his mentor and friend, Socrates, this kind of examination is called a Socratic discussion.
• 02:00 - 02:30 You can have it with yourself or ideally, with another person who isn’t trying to catch you out but wants to help you clarify your own ideas. Second Big idea: Let your lover change you. That sounds weird, if you think that love means finding someone who wants you just the way you are. In The Symposium , Plato’s play about a dinner party where a group of friends drink too much and get talking about love, sex and relationships, Plato says: “True love is admiration.”
• 02:30 - 03:00 In other words, the person you need to get together with should have very good qualities … which you yourself lack. Let’s say, they should be really brave Or organised. Or warm and sincere By getting close to this person, you can become a little like they are. The right person for us helps us grow to our full potential. For Plato, in a good relationship, a couple shouldn’t love each other exactly as they are right now. They should be committed to educating each other – and to enduring the stormy passages
• 03:00 - 03:30 this inevitably involves. Each person should want to seduce the other into becoming a better version of themselves. Three: decode the message of beauty. Everyone – pretty much – likes beautiful things Plato was the first to ask why do we like them? He found a fascinating reason: Beautiful objects are whispering important truths to us about the good life … We find things beautiful when we unconsciously sense in them qualities we need
• 03:30 - 04:00 but are missing in our lives. gentleness harmony balance peace strength Beautiful objects therefore have a really important function. They help to educate our souls. Ugliness is a serious matter too. it parades dangerous and damaged characteristics in front of us. It makes it harder to be wise, kind and calm. Plato sees art as therapeutic: it is the duty of poets and painters (and nowadays, novelists,
• 04:00 - 04:30 television producers and designers) to help us live good lives. Four: Reform society. Plato spent a lot of time thinking how the government and society should ideally be. He was the world’s first utopia thinker. In this, he was inspired by Athens’s great rival: Sparta. This was a city-sized machine for turning out great soldiers Everything the Spartans did – how they raised their children, how their economy was organised, whom they admired, how they had sex, what they ate – was tailored to that one goal.
• 04:30 - 05:00 And Sparta was hugely successful, from a military point of view. But that wasn’t Plato’s concern. He wanted to know: how could a society get better at producing not military power but fulfilled people? In his book, The Republic, Plato identifies a number of changes that should be made: Athenian society was very focused on the rich, like the louche aristocrat Alcibiades, and sports celebrities, like the boxer Milo of Croton. Plato wasn’t impressed: it really matters who we admire, because celebrities influence our
• 05:00 - 05:30 outlook, ideas and conduct. And bad heroes give glamour to flaws of character. Plato therefore wanted to give Athens new celebrities, replacing the current crop with ideally wise and good people he called Guardians models for everyone’s good development. These people would be distinguished by their record of public service, their modesty and simple habits, their dislike of the limelight and their wide and deep experience. They would be the most honored and admired people in society.
• 05:30 - 06:00 He also wanted to end democracy in Athens. He wasn’t crazy. He just observed how few people think properly before they vote and therefore we get very substandard rulers. He didn’t want to replace democracy with horrid dictatorship; but wanted to prevent people from voting until they had started to think rationally. Until they had become philosophers. Otherwise, government would just be a kind of mob rule [back to To help the process, Plato started a school, The Academy, in Athens, which lasted a good
• 06:00 - 06:30 300 years. There, pupils learnt not just maths and spelling, but also how to be good and kind. His ultimate goal was that politicians should become philosophers: ‘The world will not be right,’ he said, ‘until kings become philosophers or philosophers kings.’ [show Hollande, Merkel, Cameron all trooping into a uni- then coming out as philosophers] Plato’s ideas remain deeply provocative and fascinating. What unites them is their ambition and their idealism. He wanted philosophy to be a tool to help us change the world. We should continue to be inspired by his example.