The ‘Two Worlds’ Theory in the Phaedo by Gail Fine analyzed the work of Plato named Phaedo. In this paper, the author arranges that Plato’s work can be investigated in the context of the theory of two worlds. Thus, it is implied that some dialogues reflect the opinion that there is faith but not knowledge about sensible things. However, on the other hand, there is knowledge but not belief in forms. For a more detailed proof of the theory, the author examines the main passages of dialogues supporting TW. Moreover, Fine wonders about the validity of the mentioned aspects. The study of such issues that were raised in the works of those centuries can give a deeper understanding of the concepts of faith and knowledge in philosophy.
Phaedo of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato is written in the style of dialogue. It got its name from one of the disciples of Socrates. It is one of the most valuable and important philosophical documents in the history of human culture. The main line of the narrative in it is the philosopher’s dying conversation with his wards. The prevailing topic in the conversation is the immortality of the human soul. The more general topics raised in the dialogues focus on life and death, body and soul and their fate, and the highest purpose of man.
On the one hand, the author raises such issues as disorder, anxiety, and mortality of the human body. However, at the same time, Plato tells about the greatness of human ideals. The thinker’s main desire is to form a world and society that does not know suffering and hatred. The main value and driving force of it directly become the truth. All these ideas are reflected in the dialogues of Socrates.
It is essential to note that Plato is considered to be a pioneer in the creation of a foundation for unbiased idealism. The philosopher’s world is a magnificent one that is characterized by a number of features, ruled by special laws, created beyond it. The main laws that make up the ideal world of the philosopher or the world of ideas were in the universe, which was governed and followed the laws emanating from outside. The determining factor in the formation of this concept was ideas as eternal patterns. They were the basis for most things and aspects of the world. Moreover, the highest idea was considered the highest good, which was considered the beginning of everything. Moreover, Plato believed that the state also contributes to the improvement and further development of man. Its main characteristics should be the principles of division of labor, strict hierarchy, and compliance with laws.
The author begins to analyze the work according to the theory of two worlds with a passage where Socrates asks about the possibility of a person gaining true wisdom. Fine comes to the conclusion that its purpose is to explain how a person can achieve it. It is also noted that a person is not able to gain wisdom with the help of simple perception since feelings are not reliable and not clear. The way to comprehend wisdom is to know the truth.
The aspect that is often raised in the article under research is wisdom. It is presented as a metaphysical thought, which is revealed and realized in dialogues through dialectics. The essence of the philosophical attitude to wisdom is the disclosure of the grounds that will make it possible to distinguish its authenticity. The solution to this problem, however, is not limited to an intuitive level of understanding of basic concepts. Thus, Plato reveals the content of the ideas of a genuine sage, coming to a conclusion that, unlike an imitator of wisdom, a real wise man clearly distinguishes between knowledge and ignorance, and is just and not hypocritical.
Philosophical statements and concepts about life and death got their start many centuries ago. From the point of view of philosophy, the juxtaposition of life and death is wrong. This is due to the fact that life is a process, and death is its termination. Plato believed in the immortality of the soul and divided it into mortal and immortal. Moreover, the thinker noted that the second has the ability to think in an unknowable way after leaving the physical shell.
Next, an excerpt of the dialogue is examined, touching on such aspects as reasoning and wisdom. Plato notes that these two concepts have nothing in common. This is due to the fact that wisdom is the ultimate and main goal of the reasoning process (Fine, 2021). At the same time, the concept of reasoning does not coincide with everything that is considered under it in a general sense. Despite all the previous reflections, the author notes that the philosopher does not determine exactly whether someone can gain wisdom. Instead, Plato, in his work, pays great attention to the description of the doxa, which is adhered to by genuine philosophers.
Plato also opposes forms and feelings in his dialogues. One of their main differences is their forms are note or sensitive and anoeta (Fine, 2021). The second concept is defined as stupid or ignorant. Similarly, the author of the article indicates that there have been attempts to identify true and false philosophers. Thus, it seems that only philosophers have knowledge. However, this only means that non-philosophers lack the data necessary for virtue (Fine, 2021). Moreover, it is noted that to be a real philosopher does not necessarily mean having wisdom. However, for this, it is important to respect her and always strive to achieve the best.
In addition, Plato also regarded knowledge as remembering something. It was believed that in life, people acquire certain knowledge about things. However, then the question was raised about the origin of their basic knowledge about certain concepts as such. Similarly, individuals share concepts of justice, but the source of these definitions is not clear. For Plato, these are eidos, that is, absolute and eternal entities (Lenk, 2021). Thus, the knowledge of certain concepts is explained by the fact that the human soul once existed, even before birth. This is also due to the fact that the soul cannot receive knowledge about the immortal if it is not immortal itself. Moreover, in this way, the philosopher proves the existence of the soul long before its appearance in the human body. Thus Plato proved the existence of the spirit after death.
Therefore, this work contains the summary of the article by Gail Fine called The ‘Two Worlds’ Theory in the Phaedo. In it, the author analyzes the thoughts and concepts of the ancient philosopher Plato. Some of the topics are immortality of the soul, wisdom, and what kind of person can master it. Moreover, the work discusses the concept of a real and false philosopher and how this status can be achieved.
References
Fine, G. (2016). The ‘Two Worlds’ theory in the Phaedo. British Journal of the History of Philosophy, 24(4), 557-572. Web.
Lenk, H. (2021). A Comparison of Plato’s and Kripke’s theories of proper names. Identity Metaphysical Approach: Proceedings of the IIP Conference Zadar 2013,11(67).