Plato
Plato was born to a wealthy aristocratic family in 427 BC. He was a follower of Socrates; however, Plato's beliefs slightly contrasted his. After having Socrates as a mentor, if you will, Plato eventually became the teacher of Aristotle (you will learn about him next,) and he taught at the Greek Academy that Socrates and himself put in place. , Plato thought that our souls are reincarnated and that when our souls are in the divine we are aware of absolute truths. According to Lee, "Plato believed that our souls are immortal and are stored in the divine world until we are born" (Lecture, September, 2014). In this "divine world" there are perfect versions of everything and, we remember these perfect versions by remembering what our souls already know. By doing this, Plato believed that we could have access to absolute truths. When it comes to Rhetoirc, Plato felt as though it hide absolute truths because people like the Sophists used it to to manipulate people in order to fulfill their needs to be on top. These beliefs are known today as Platonic thought.
Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" is a good example of how Plato thought humans knew the world. In this story, there are prisoners chained to a cave wall were the only thing they know is darkness, and shadow figures that are projected onto the cave wall. This is the universe to them.
Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" is a good example of how Plato thought humans knew the world. In this story, there are prisoners chained to a cave wall were the only thing they know is darkness, and shadow figures that are projected onto the cave wall. This is the universe to them.