In the
process of discovering true knowledge, according to Plato, the human mind moves
through four stages of development. At each stage, there is a parallel between
the kind of object presented to the mind and the kind of thought these objects
make possible. These objects and their parallel modes of understanding can be diagrammed as followed:
OBJECTS MODES OF THOUGHTS
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The God[FORMS]
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KNOWLEDGE PERFECT INTELLIGENCE
|
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MATHEMATICAL OBJECTS
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THINKING
|
|
THINGS
|
BELIEF
|
|
IMAGAES
|
IMAGINING
|
In the
diagram a vertical line is divided into four segments, each of which from the
lowest to the highest represents a level of knowledge. Each level of knowledge
imagining, belief, thinking, and knowledge has its own objects and its own
method of knowing these. In the diagram the basic division is between
knowledge, whose objects are in the intelligible world, and opinion, whose
objects are in the visible world.
Imagining represents the lowest rang on the ladder formed by the divided line
of knowledge. Imagining means the sense experience of appearances where in
these appearance are taken as true reality. For example, a shadow, which can be
mistaken as true reality. At this stage the mind does not know that it is a
shadow or an image that it has confronted. If a person knew that it was a
shadow, he would not be in the state of imagining.
BELIEF:
The next level on the ascent of the divided line of knowledge is that of
belief, which is the perception of actual objects. The level of belief is primarily
the level of knowledge on which there occurs the recognition of three dimensional visible objects. The
visible objects depend upon their context for many of their characteristics.
So, there is a degree of certainty in seeing things. But such certainty is not
absolutely correct. Plato says that although actual things possess greater
reality than their outlook, they do not by themselves give all the knowledge
about them. Belief, which has its source in the perception by the sense of
actual objects is insecure. It is not based upon abstracts truths or principles
which are unchanging.
THINKING:
When a person moves from believing to thinking, he moves from the invisible
world to intelligible world. In this level a person tries to find the
explanation of every visible things. For example, when a mathematician sees a
diagram of a triangle, he thinks about triangular. By using visible symbols, he
provides a bridge from the visible to the intelligible world. Thinking is
characterized not only by its treatment of visible objects as symbols, but also
by reasoning from hypothesis. By a hypothesis, Plato means a truth, which is
taken as self evident but which depends upon some higher truth. Here a
hypothesis means a firm truth but one that is related to a larger context.
PERFECT
INTELLIGENCE:
The mind is never satisfied as long as if must ask for a fuller
explanation of things. Perfect knowledge requires that the mind should grasp
the relation of everything to everything else. It represents the mind as
completely released from sensible objects. At this level, the mind deals
directly with the intelligible objects that have been abstracted from the
actual objects. Here the mind uses no longer hypothesis. It is the highest
level of knowledge which approached to the extend that the mind is able to move
beyond the restrictions of hypothesis towards the unity of intelligible
objects. Perfect intelligible therefore means the abstract view of reality
which implies the unity of knowledge.
