Political Science 2237E Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Theory Of Forms, The Good Life, Nepotism

• School: Western University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: Political Science 2237E
• Professor: Richard Vande Wetering

Document Summary

Plato on human nature: humans have a soul, the soul is divided into 3 parts, humans can access ultimate truths, every human has needs. Every thing has a pure essence to it. There is a pure ideal version of each of these forms. They are free standing; they exist whether we think about them or not (god-like) Takes time to get to the pure forms (hard work) While humans can access ultimate truths, it is only a small portion that can get there. The forms are the same thing as ideas. We do not create ideas (forms), we discover them. They are not a product of our own mind, or society, but the divine mind. They can be accessed from anywhere in the world, they are real. Many forms are linked to physical things in the world. Human beings are purest when they are born (plato) As you live in society you get somewhat corrupted, appetite is the leading cause.