ENGLISH FOR COMMUNICATION 2

(UBI 1042)
TITLE : PLATO

NAME: MUHAMAD NURBASIK BIN BAHARUDDIN

MATRIX NO. : D020081033128
COURSE: AT 23 – ART
FAKULTY : ART AND MUSIC
SEMESTER : 3

CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction 1
2.0 Master Piece/Physical Attribute 2
3.1 Mimesis 3
3.2 Man, Ideas and Knowledge 3
3.3 Aesthetics 5
4.0 Conclusion 6
Bibliography

Plato and Philosophy

1.0 Introduction
Plato was born in Athens on 427 B.C. and died on 347 B.C. when he was 80 years
old. Plato is a part of Athens aristocrat family who have a played an important role in Athens
for many generations. His late father known as Ariston is a nobleman, the descendant of King
Kordus who being respected by his peoples because he is really competent and judicious as a
ruler. His late mothers known as Periktione and she is one of the most respected people
because she involve in politic and a very well known figure.
The real name of Plato is Aristokles and Plato is only a nickname. Plato got his
nickname from his exercise teacher because he has a width shoulder and a width forehead. In
the Greeks classic languages, the words Plato arefrom some kind of things called “ platos ” (
“ width ” ) are form from the word “ platus ” that means width. The nick name became very
popular and sticks with him for his whole life and that happen because people around him
keep calling him with that nickname. His father died when he was a kid and after that his
mother got married with Pyrilampes, one of the politic leaders at Athens on that time. Plato
has been taught and rise by Pyrilampes.
Just like another normal kid, Plato learns a lot of things about philosophy from many
teachers and one of them is a very well known philosopher called Socrates. Since he was 20
years old, Plato has become one of Socrates beloved student. Besides that, Socrates also has
brought a lot of influence into Plato life especially in philosophy. In fact, he also mentions
about his master Socrates by admiring his master greatness in each of his work, such as
writing, dialog and his master piece. It is proven that his master is really important to him, he
feels like losing everything when Socrates being caught and executed to death by the ruler of
Athens. The ruler of Athens has accused Socrates for instigated the youth so that they don’t
believe in the Goddess anymore.
The death of Socrates has been the start point for Plato in making his outstanding
piece of work. Plato has produced a lot of master piece and most of his master pieces are in
dialog forms. He used a really sweet, interesting, high level and full of esthetic language in
his master piece.
2.0 Master Piece/Physical Attribute
A few people said that Plato has makes 34 of art works for his entire life. The
outstanding piece of work of his is in dialog and poetry. Through the master piece that he has
yield, Plato not only known as a great philosopher, he is also known as a famous literary
man. The Republic, Timaios, Apologie, Kriton, Pythagoras are the famous works from Plato.
In the most of his works, Plato use a special method called ” Socrat ” a method that
his master Socrates developed. This method exist in form of a dialog, dicussion and debate as
a way to find truth and knowledge. Plato has manage to complete this method by writing
down all of his dialogs in form of literature that impress every body who reads it through
ages of time. Plato also put his beloved master as the main role in his work, this prove that he
is really admire excessively his master.
3.0 Plato Art Theory/Philosophy
3.1 Mimesis
There is a lot of philosophy contains in each of Plato writing that has become a hold
and as a guidence in the society. One of Plato theory is mimesis and it is represent in art or
literature. In one of his books called ‘The Republic X’, Plato has explain that painting,
drawing, sculpture, music, poetry or a drama is a imitation. However, Plato used the word
mimesis (producing a copy or an imitation) that is came along with different of meaning.
Plato said that mimesis is the fact of particular social group changing their behavior
by copying the behavior of another social group. For an example by saying the same thing or
the same word that has being said by somebody else, doing or acting the same act like hands
movement. Doing something that has a similarity with an object or a man and some thing
that represent man actions for example a sculpture.
Besides that, the mimesis consept that used by Plato come along with four different
meaning and this meaning can across with each other. Plato has said that a painter and a
drawer is someone who copied an object that produced by others people. This thing happen
because the object that the painter will draw in his painting will looks the same as the
original one. Someone really stupid who look at the painting will said that they are looking at
the original object when they see the painting. Mimesis as a repeatation process, producing
words or acting someone movement is someone like a poetry and an actor.
Mimesis as a imitation process not only refering to painting, drawing and sculpture
but it also refer to poetry and drama. Plato claims that a poetry and an actor who try to
imitate the ancient Greek Goddess behavior on that time don not act really properly, the
problems is when they acting they don’t act like the true thing that happen like the history,
the act and the words it is not same as the Goddess. When this thing happen it has bad looks
and made Plato thinks that a poetry, a drawer, a painter and an actor should be expelled from
the great republic. Besides that, Plato also said that an artists that only produce something
that has been copied from the physical world and not from the source of knowledge.
Plato also think that if we want to know the characteristic of a chair it is better if we
study the chair it self other than studying a painting or drawing of the chair. This such thing
happen because in Plato opinion an art work could cheat us, for an example, a children or an
adult who really stupid would believe that they are confront with a chair when they looking
at a painting of a chair.

3.2 Man, Ideas and Knowledge

Plato has his own theory about man, idea and knowledge. Plato has made a very
interesting simil in one of his books called the Republik and the simil are about a few
hostages that has been put in a really dark cave and stuck in it. In his books, Plato has clearly
said that inside the underground cave there was a few hostages, their leg and neck was tie and
facing the cave wall. In fact they also have to sit back to back the cave doors and that doors
are let open to give the light from the outsite get inside the caveat daylight. Even though
there is another source of light came from the fire banked that has been put in front the
entrance. Between the fire banked and the hostages there was a road placed belower than the
fire banked but higher than the placed where the hosteges were placed. Besides that, the road
is always chock full with people carring various kinds of thing and because the fire banked
infront of the cave entrence has make a shadow reflection of the people to and fro there.
After a hole life the hostages seing the shadow on the cave wall infront of the cave
enterence, they a quite sure that the shadow that their seen is the truly reality of their life.
Plato has affirm that the underground cave was more or less than the world that could we see
with our five senses and each of the shadow they seen are a the truth and reality in life.
Besides that, Plato also has describe a matter that would happen or happen if one of the
prisoners in that cave manage to get out. Maybe the prisoner will thought that he has escaped
from the real world and entering the fantasy and dream world. Even though sooner or later he
will notice that what he has seen in the cave is only a mirage and every thing that happen
outside the cave is the fact. Plato has affirm that the person who get free from the fetters are
the only one who knows that the thing he saw in the cave are not the reality.
Almost of all Plato philosophy are conscentrated to his teaching about idea. Plato
believe that idea is the real reality and the realty could be known by the human five senses.
This matter happen because the idea is not gonna change but a life form such as the flowers,
trees, human being and animal will die. Because of the idea is the truth reality, according to
Plato idea are not only a picture in human kind mind. To Plato idea is really objective
because the idea is not depending to the force of human thinking, perfect and do not
changing. Plato has affirm that idea was reality of life and the sense worls is only an undone
picture or shadow from the aspec of the idealisme world. For example, there is a lot of type
of chair exist in the sense world are the uncomplete shadow refers to a perfect chair in the
idea world.
Plato opine that the chair in the idea world is only one whenever there is a many type
of chair in the sense world and it is only a shadow and an un perfect picture. Even thought,
the chair in the idea world is representing a perfect chair and in many form and shape. Plato
do not deny that the sense world are the reality world although he opine that world is not the
truly reality world. This thing happen because the sense world is parallel as only an imitate
world that form from the idea world and this has causing Plato proclaim taht the idea world is
the main world for himself. Although, Plato has admited both of the world because it has it’s
own reality. To Plato there is two way to recognize the both world because the sense world
recognize by human five senses and the idea world are recognize by deceit intelligence. For
an example, through the human five senses man could know the forms of the chair.
Due to, Plato opine that man who entered the idea world and recognize the perfect
shape and only one chair through the deceit intelligence. Although, there is a lot of opinion
proclaim that the idea world are not mixed but this does not mean that the idea world have
only one idea. This thing happen because in the idea world there is actually many idea but the
idea are only one. For an example, there is only one idea about the chair but the idea are
linked with each other and these idea then combine with one and onother and then turns to
reality. The idea about man combine with the idea about woman and turns into reality and the
idea are called alliance. Besides the idea combine in the idea alliance, the idea also have it’s
own arrangements and hierachy. To Plato, the top idea in the hierarchy are the most elegance
idea of all and the most shining idea among all of ideas in the idea world.
Human kind should know what are in this world is a picture and a shadow of the idea
world. In this condition, our soul main a role as a connecter that connect the world of sense
and the world of ideas. According to Plato before a man soul being jail in his own body,
when the soul in the idea world the soul would know something about the idea world and
when the soul get in the world called innectordera and jail in the body, the soul will
remember about the idea. To Plato, the knowledge are the memory and resources to get a
knowledge and this means that the only way to get in the idea world is through the resource
of memory.
3.3 Aesthetics
Besides that, Plato also resite about aesthetics or beautification and about the
characteristic contains in the aesthetics. Plato has described about aesthetics and love with
detailed in one of his books called ‘Symposium’. In his book, Plato has relay in dialog forms
with the main character like Phaedrus, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon dan Socrates. It
is clearly said in the dialog stated that we must put in ourself the loving beautufication spirit
from the early stages. Besides that, Plato also has listed the main characreristic of the
aesthetics. Plato has listed seven of aesthetics characteristic, the first is the good, second is
the beneficial, the third is the reasonable, the fourth is the appropriate, the fith is the balance,
the six is the pleasant and the last characteristic is the handsome.
.
4.0 Conclusion
As a conclusion we all know that Plato is a great philosopher. Every each of Plato
works has it is own meaning and need a computation of human mind to understand the
meaning behind his master piece. Plato is really a great philosoper because every each of his
master piece has it own philosophy. Each of the phelosophy are to make a better society with
harmony and peace. Because of that, Plato has become founder of an idea for some people.
Bibliography

Awang Sariyan . 2007. Falsafah dan Logika Melayu . Selangor :

Synergy mate

J.H.Rapar . 1993. Falsafah Politik Plato . Kuala Lumpur : Dewan Bahasa

dan Pustaka

Johan Jacob, Schmid . 1895 . Ahli-ahli Pemikir Besar tentang Negara

dan Hukum . Jakarta : Pembangunan

Lok Chong Hoe . 1997 . Plato dan Aristotle . Pulau Pinang : Penerbit
Universiti Sains Malaysia

Mohammad Hatta . 1982 . Alam Fikiran Yunani . Kuala Lumpur : Dewan

Bahasa dan Pustaka

Http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato#searchInput