ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses Plato's philosophy in the narrower sense of the term, Plato's views on the universe, God, and nature and the human soul. This is the aspect of Plato's thinking which has proved most influential through the ages; it is the aspect of Plato which even today holds the most compelling appeal for the metaphysically minded. The task of harmonizing and synthesizing the various strains of development and uniting them into a coherent philosophy of idealism is Plato's central task and the major preoccupation of his Academy. Though the specific modes of expression differ, the conviction of Plato is constant. It is a social conviction which takes philosophical forms. There is a great deal of language that suggests the religious conversion and the sacred quest in Plato's account of this turning from shadows and dreams to light and truth.