The Platonic Idea of Ideal and its Reception in East Asia

Journal of Philosophical Research 40 (Supplement):137-147 (2015)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In the history of philosophy, Plato’s theory of Forms has enchanted many philosophers, but it has faced more adversaries than proponents. Although it is unusual for contemporary philosophers to believe in the Platonic Forms, I confront Plato seriously and try to defend his thought by reflecting on its reception in modern Japan. For this purpose, the Japanese word “risō” (理想), which was originally a translation of the Platonic “Idea” or “Form,” will give us valuable hints.I discuss Aristotle, Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Popper, each of whom raised fundamental questions about the Forms as transcendent entities. First, Aristotle ignores one fundamental factor of the Forms, i.e., Eros: we aspire for the perfect or ideal state in our life with reference to the Forms. Next, Popper misses the important difference between the Form and the Ideal: i.e., the ultimate reality and its expressed form in words. Aspiring for the latter does not necessarily lead us to totalitarianism. Then, I argue that Nietzsche shares the same framework with Plato in considering the notion of “ideal.” We have to face his radical question of whether we should hold an “ideal” in everyday life.Finally, I introduce a brief history of how philosophers confronted reality by learning Plato in modern Japan. Michitaro Tanaka, in particular, cast critical eyes on the pre- and post-war society by studying Plato’s philosophy. To consider and discuss the Forms changes views and meanings of the world and of life. Plato thereby invites us to this common search through his dialogues, and leads us to the ideal (risō).

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive

    This entry is not archived by us. If you are the author and have permission from the publisher, we recommend that you archive it. Many publishers automatically grant permission to authors to archive pre-prints. By uploading a copy of your work, you will enable us to better index it, making it easier to find.

    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 102,323

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Platonic Ethics: Is it Applicable?Rajesaheb D. Maradkar - 2018 - Proceedings of the XXIII World Congress of Philosophy 2 (2):207-213.
The Theory of Motion in Plato's Later Dialogues.Joseph Bright Skemp - 1942 - Cambridge [Eng.]: Cambridge University Press.
Aristotle's "Politics" and Plato's "Statesman".Friedo Ricken - 2007 - Philosophy and Culture 34 (5):75-94.
What an Ideal Is.Politecnico Milano & Simona Chiodo - 2015 - Philosophia 43 (4):961-974.
What an Ideal Is.Simona Chiodo & Politecnico di Milano - 2015 - Philosophia 43 (4):961-974.
Plato's Phaedo: Forms, Death, and the Philosophical Life.David Ebrey - 2022 - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Analytics

Added to PP
2015-10-03

Downloads
43 (#532,045)

6 months
7 (#676,990)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Noburu Notomi
University of Tokyo

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references