Plato’s Phrases To Understand The World
Ancient Greece was once synonymous with splendor and wisdom. Illustrious philosophers coexisted alongside poets, mathematicians, astronomers and scholars. Of all, no one was able to express the thought of his time better than Plato. Plato’s sentences speak to us of understanding, individualism and self-knowledge.
It is no exaggeration to consider this philosopher as one of the most revolutionaries of his time. Although it is true that the immense influence of Socrates’ thought has partly tarnished his fame, it cannot be said that all this disturbed the Greek philosopher too much. Like any self-respecting essay, in fact, he considered it an honor to be able to enrich himself with the opinions of other great thinkers. And thanks to his constant need to put his ideas in writing, today we still have access to Plato’s thoughts, advice and lessons, even centuries later.
Due to his discoveries, this gymnastic enthusiast Athenian became one of the great figures of Western philosophy, alongside Aristotle and Socrates. Their philosophy forms the basis of education, politics and contemporary thought.
Here are some of Plato’s phrases to understand the world.
Phrases of Plato to understand the world
1. “It is not the eyes that see, but we see through the eyes.”
Plato uses an allegory, the famous “Myth of the cave”, to explain the relationship of the physical world to the world of ideas. In this myth, a group of people chained inside a cave believe that that is the only possible reality. When they can see what’s outside, they experience eye pain from the sun. They prefer to go back to living in the dark, because it is more comfortable and that is what they are used to. But when they re-enter, their perception of the world has changed.
With this myth, the philosopher invites us to ask ourselves why we are chained. Are we afraid of what we might discover if we break free from our chains? The shadows we observe from inside the cave are the symbol of a fictitious reality that distracts us from pure reality: what happens outside.
2. “The wise man will always want to be with someone better than him.”
One of Plato’s best phrases centers on his belief that the world should be ruled by philosophers. According to him, they are the wisest and most capable of governing. Plato belonged to an aristocratic family and was deeply undemocratic, although he was never afraid to express his displeasure with some political measures.
He greatly admired other philosophers, such as Socrates, from whom he believed he could learn a lot. Thanks to the latter he discovered the absolutist conception of universal truth, beyond the ideas that he could have as an individual. According to Plato, it is always necessary to surround ourselves with people who can teach us something, even when we disagree with them.
3. “We must seek a cause for our evils that is not God.”
Given his admiration for Socrates, of whom he was a disciple, Plato was deeply struck when the Greek philosopher was sentenced to death for spreading theories considered pagan. He felt it was unfair that he was judged for proposing alternatives to the truths established from above.
From his mentor he learned that people are not evil by nature, but by ignorance. The human being is the only master of his actions and responsible for his decisions. Using God as an excuse to carry out unjust actions is unforgivable.
4. “No human cause deserves our distress.”
This statement has become one of Plato’s most famous phrases. No human cause deserves so much stress or anxiety on our part. If we think about it, most of the time we worry about trivial, easily solved things.
When we find ourselves in a situation where anxiety is truly justified, we must try to manage it. We cannot let it affect our health or make us feel even more unfortunate.
5. “Seeking the good of our fellow men, we will find ours.”
This fifth piece of advice can be interpreted as an ode to understanding and goodness. Plato’s greatest aspiration was to establish a regime based on justice, which would allow people to live in peace. Unfortunately, it failed, but it is never too late to bring our drop of water into the ocean.
Helping others is not only good for them, it is good for us as well. It makes us feel useful and improves our empathic capacity, generating very pleasant and satisfying feelings.
Plato was an avant-garde man for his time. Despite the numerous criticisms he received for his antagonistic thinking, the teachings of this philosopher are still valid. Our problems, after all, are very similar to those that the men of his time had, and if we put his advice into practice we would certainly learn to see life from a different point of view.
