Yesterday, we talked about Pluto.
Today, let us talk about Plato.
Alfred North Whitehead, a smarty British mathematician and philosopher, once said, “All of Western philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato.”
Plato. Plato. The in-between guy. He started out as a young follower of Socrates. He would later become the mentor to Aristotle. But in addition to that, Plato laid the groundwork for more than two millennia of philosophical thought.
A little segue. When I was a kid, whenever the “grownups” would mention Plato in a discussion, I thought this guy’s name was Play-doh. Just like the colorful clay stuff in those nifty cardboard jars.
Since we are here with Play-doh, I should mention that it was brilliant in its own right. Most people don’t know that it was born right here in Ohio, in Cincinnati, to be exact. It was a product of a company named Kutol, founded in 1912. And their primary product was this soft, pliable compound used for wiping soot from wallpaper. With that, they became the largest wallpaper cleaner manufacturer in the world in the early 20th century.
However, times change. Eventually, as a wallpaper cleaner, Kutol’s clay was no longer in need. It seemed that many people had quit using coal to heat their homes. There had been a big transition over to gas and electric. So, the wallpaper cleaning company’s future looked bleak.
But one day, one of the owner’s sisters-in-law decided to let her kids play with the clay.
Her name was Kay Zufall, a nursery school teacher. She gave a bunch of the stuff (which was nontoxic) to the kids in her classes. They loved molding it into all kinds of shapes. She told the owner, Joseph McVicker, all about her discovery and even suggested a new name: Play-Doh.
And there it went. Brilliant. Ingenious. And serendipitous.
I have several cans in the house here. Of course, my love for Play-Doh started very early in life, hence the confusion with Plato’s name.
So. Back to Plato.
Who was this guy, anyway?
Plato was born around 428 BC. The Golden Age of Athens was starting to lose its glow at the time of his birth. Regardless, he somehow met Socrates there as a youth. And we all know Socrates as that provocative street philosopher. He would confound people with his unrelenting questions. Anyone from politicians and prostitutes. It became known as the Socratic method.
Plato was around 20 when Athens lost the horrible Peloponnesian War to rival Sparta. He served briefly in that war. He thought about going into politics but couldn’t stand all the corrupt leaders. Plus, there was the whole thing with the tragic execution of Socrates, who was his hero and mentor. So with all that in his pocket, Plato came to believe that only the “right philosophy” could end human suffering and ensure justice.
So there is a lot that can be said about Plato. But here are two things that have resonated with me about his philosophy.
First. He turned his energies to education early on, studying under Pythagorean mathematicians. Science. Mathematics.
Second. Plato’s central theme lies in this. He believed it’s all about the concept of “forms.” He suggested that the world we perceive with our physical senses is flawed. But, and this is the big BUT, a separate world of perfect, eternal forms exists beyond our perception. Those perfect forms are abstract ideals like “beauty, equality, goodness, being, and knowledge.”
Plato never married or had any children. He died in his early 80s, which was ancient for those times. And today, his philosophies live on in his dialogues and thought-provoking questions.
Yes. Those perfect eternal forms that Plato talked about are incredible. Kind of like the shapes you can make with Play-doh.
Maybe I had it right when I was a kid.
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“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”
― Plato
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“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
― Plato
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“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”
― Plato, The Republic
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It is all in the shape of things, Plato.
