Plato on the Existence of Negative Forms Essay -- Plato Philosophy Neg

Plato on the Existence of Negative Forms The question of the origin and spirit of evil in the world has preoccupied philosophers throughout history. The ancient philosopher Plato does not directly address this question in his writings, but it depose be argued that the logic of his theory of strainings demands the existence of forms that atomic number 18 veto in meaning, such as the evil and the bad. When discussing his theory of imitation, Plato alludes to the principle that whenever there are umteen things of the same nature, there is one form for that nature. In several passages, Plato makes citation of many negative things. It tin be debated, however, whether or not the negative has a positive ontological character of its own for which there can be a form. The several senses in which an object can be considered negative must first be distinguished before the texts of Plato can be analyzed. It will be shown that, although Plato makes references in the Rep ublic to a ballpark nature amongst many negative things, the supposition of a negative form is not in harmony with the hierarchal structure of forms that depends on the good, which is in any case presented in the Republic. A solution to this problem will be presented and analyzed. In order to understand why it is argued that negative forms must exist accord to Platos logic, one must first understand the meaning of form for Plato. Plato thinks that forms are separate and eternal entities that exist apart from the well-founded world. Plato thinks that objects in the sensible world imitate a particular form and that form makes them what they are. Plato writes, As you know, we customarily hypothesize a single form in confederacy with each of the many things to which w... ...rendon Press), 167-9.4 Ross, 168.5 Ross, 168.6 Plato, Statesman, trans. Seth Benardete (Chicage University of Chicago Press, 1986), 262 d.7 Plato, Republic, 491 d 3.8 Plato, Republic, 608 e 3.9 Plato, Republic, 609 a 4-7.10 Plato, Republic, 610 b 4-6.11 Plato, Republic, 382 b.12 Plato, Republic, 476 a.13 Plato, Republic, 507 b 10-11.14 Plato, Republic, 509 b 11-c.15 Plato, Republic, 508 c-e.16 Plato, Republic, 508 b ? 509 a 3.17 Plato, Republic, 509 b 7 - 718 Plato, Republic, 379 a 6 - c.19 I.M. Crombie, An Examination of Plato?s Doctrines Plato on companionship and Reality (New York The Humanities Press), 283.20 Crombie, 283.21 Crombie, 284.22 Plato, Statesman, 262 d.23 Ross, 169.24 Plato, Republic, 491 d 3.25 Crombie, 284.