Eric Schmechel
Joshua Jacobs
Intro to Philosophy
We have chosen to write our essay on the ideas and reasoning (being vs. becoming) of Plato. (Essay #1) Virtue consists in the harmony of the human soul with the universe of ideas, which assure order, intelligence, and the pattern to a world in constant flux. The soul, on this view, has three parts, which correspond to three different kinds of interest, three kinds of virtues, and three kinds of personalities, depending on which part of the soul is dominant. This being the three kinds of social classes that should be based on the three personalities, interests, and virtues? shown below in a chart. This relates to the same ideas we discussed in class, the pyramid, based upon controlling self-esteem and upon those two controlling appetite. This leads us into the being vs. becoming state.
Soul Interest Class Virtue
Reason Knowledge Philosophers Wisdom
Spirit Honor Warriors Courage
Desire Pleasures Commoners Temperance
From this desire for wholeness comes the famous Platonic theory of ideas. The world about us is imperfect. It is constantly coming into being and going out of being. It seems impossible that anything, which really is, should be part of such a world. When we look at a beautiful girl, we cannot say that either of them is perfectly beautiful. Yet, there is something beautiful about them. What is it that makes them beautiful, so beautiful that it never can change? The wholly beautiful is the es ...