Section A: 1.2 Plato and the nature of reality



‘Earthly knowledge is but shadow’.

Plato distrusted the reliability of the senses. He believed the world we are exposed to on a daily basis is one of falsehood and illusion. This discovery is the result of Plato going beyond the scope of Socrates’ moral philosophy, by exploring the nature of reality itself.


Past Exam Question

Outline one of Plato’s philosophical ideas about the nature of reality.


Plato questioned the nature and substance of the cosmos, and explored how the immutable and eternal could exist in a seemingly changing world. He believed that the universe is ordered and accessible to human reason, but he also believes that our earthly knowledge is only a shadow of true knowledge. He explains this in his theory of the two worlds.

The two worlds
The world of ideas – this is the world of unchanging ideal forms – a reality that humans can only access through their ability to reason. Plato states that this realm of ideas is ‘reality’, and that the world around us is merely modelled on it.

The world of the senses – is the world that we inhabit, the world we see, hear, taste, touch and smell. According to Plato this world is merely an illusion – a shadow or imperfect copy of ‘true reality’.

His theory of ideas states that for something to be real it must be eternal, objective and immutable. Plato believes the universal or idea is real – the individual or the particular is merely a copy of the universal. Rising from this understanding of reality Plato had a dualistic understanding of the human being – basically stating we are composed of two elements: body (subject to change) and soul (unchanging and eternal, therefore real).

Plato used the Allegory of the Cave to explain the distinction between reality and illusion. This is a distinction that is shaped by public opinion – the distinction between truth and opinion, reality and shadows/illusions. For Plato the sun symbolises the Good. The allegory charts the journey that must be taken by all who strive to live the good life – a journey not to be taken lightly as it involves a radical reshaping of one’s vision that demands shedding images of fulfilment shaped by the desires for pleasure or power. The likely death of the returning prisoner undoubtedly refers to the death of Socrates.

Impact: Plato’s student Aristotle expands on the concept of the two worlds, but reframes it in the context of ‘form’ and ‘matter’. Unlike Plato, Aristotle doesn’t place a higher value on either, but instead suggests that they are interdependent.

Plato’s dualistic understanding of the human person has an enduring influence on western philosophy – the mind-body split implied by Plato becomes a recurring theme for continental philosophers and is explored by Descartes during the Age of Enlightenment.

Plato’s scepticism about our ability to understand the world around us is also a powerful idea. His Allegory of the Cave is a template for speculative fiction on the nature of reality (e.g. The Matrix)

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