Plato's_Theory_on_Forms

Imagine a gooey decadent pastry warm and fresh from a bakery’s oven, meticulously cut, and gently placed on a small saucer, topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Consequent to the description, what pastry does one have in mind' Corresponding with Plato’s Theory of Forms, it is essential to rank and assign standards or models to objects, for without them objects can be interchangeable and mistaken for another. According to Plato, Forms are intelligible ideas but ultimate realities from which the world of objects have been patterned. The intended description was to be of a brownie. The said description utilized characteristics of the present. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a brownie is defined as a small square or rectangle of rich usually chocolate cake containing nuts. However, Forms and the associated classifications use standards that will not fluctuate with the world’s use and manipulation, hence making them more substantial and more, ”real” in the real world. The pastry could be refrigerated, packaged or shipped; however, there is a standard defined that describes what encompasses a brownie. Another example of a form is a mirror. What is constant in classification of the form of mirror is that it is to display a reflection of whatever is viewing the mirror. A mirror can take on any shape, but the form remains the same. Any reflecting object is a mirror. Take for example, cool ocean waters on a starry night. Glance into the water and the viewer’s image is reflected. This example brings up another point, shape versus form. Shape is malleable in a sense that it can be bent to meet a certain criterion, the standard being the form. Subsequently, a defined Form or standard must first be derived to allow for a shape to be configured. Because there is a difference in substantiality because of the definition of standards, there also is a difference between the physical world of matter and the world of Forms. The physical world of matter, like the initial description of the pastry, is subject to manipulation. Another exemplification is a pencil. What differentiates it from any other writing utensil is that lead is used to configure and draw. There can be various ways of packaging, advertising, or innovating the concept of it, but the standard of a pencil remains the same. The world of Forms holds such imperativeness because they do not rely on points of reference. Imagine speeding down a highway on a sunny day, with the windows down and the wind blowing at your hair. Buildings are unrecognizable as they just are blurs in the points of references ahead, perhaps at a sign or another car. Similarly, Forms do not need a point of reference to make it clear which building is which. A building is a building because it is defined to be a building. Whether it has broken windows, is in shambles, or is newly constructed, form holds true to be a building. Understanding our recognition of objects without some concept of forms is very difficult because characteristics can be repetitive. In our book it mentions the example of geometry and how it is “unreal.” Plato explains how geometric definitions mean an “ideal.” The idea that circles and lines take up space when drawn but are not actually real objects. Plato discovered that things which are real in geometry are not truly embodied in the world and do not really exist. The shapes, which are drawn do not actual take up space, and are not real objects, therefore are forms. Plato’s discovery of forms has had a great influence on philosophy and the way in which people see things. In relation to society, an important moral can be ascertained. We should all aspire to look at the form of a person. Although our matter, characteristics, cultures, and communities are different, we all take on the form of a human being. Recognizing this universal form, it can be concluded that in this world, we are all special and significant.