Dualism Essay

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Dualism is defined as the doctrine that there are two independent divine beings or eternal principles, one good and the other evil. Dualism covers the topic that the human body consists of two different parts, the body and soul. Plato was born in Athens during the Peloponnesian War. He grew up admiring the works of his teacher, Socrates. In 387, nearly a decade after the death of Socrates, he founded the world’s first school of philosophy, The Academy. Plato later went on to write the Republic, which today is known as his greatest work. Plato’s Republic brings up two different questions. “What is the meaning of justice?” and “What is the nature of a just society?” (Fiero, 100) Regarding this subject Plato describes a two-level world. One world or reality, consisting of constant change and principles of our basic senses and the other consisting of an unchanging truth. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, he describes a scene of regular earthly humans chained within an underground cave or chamber. The humans are faced away from a light that shines a “picture show” in front of them. The only truth they know of the outside world is that of which is shown to them. This parable is presented as a dialogue between Socrates and Plato’s older brother, Glaucon. (Fiero, 100) The Allegory of the Cave brings up ideas such as idealism and dualism. The parable is trying to illustrate the point that we are the cave dwellers and in order to be released from the cave, we must understand the outside world which is the afterlife. This illustration portrays that one must find truth in order to be released from one’s own ignorance. Plato’s Theory of Forms suggest that all objects are like the simplest mathematical equation are eternal and are an everlastingly truth. (Fiero, 100) The example of a sphere and a circle is often brought up. We do not need to look at a ball to understand
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