Plato And Forms Essays - Platonism, Form Of The Good,

Plato And Forms Platos Forms The influence that Plato, the Greek philosopher born in 427 BC in Athens, has had throughout the history of philosophy has been monumental. Among other things, Plato is known for his exploration of the fundamental problems of natural science, political theory, metaphysics, theology and theory of knowledge; many of his ideas becoming permanent elements in Western thought. The basis of Platos philosophy is his theory of Ideas, or doctrine of Forms. While the notion of Forms is essential to Platos philosophy, over years of philosophical study, it has been difficult to understand what these Forms are supposed to be, and the purpose of their existence. When examining Platos forms and evaluating the theory, some conclusions have proved to be unclear and unanswered. However, the doctrine of Forms is essential to Platos philosophy. Plato came to his view of the Forms based on two premises: first, that knowledge cannot come through the senses; and second, we do nevertheless manage to know thi ngs in mathematics, for instance. Plato believed in two worlds; the empirical realm of concrete, familiar objects known through sensory experience, and the rational realm of perfect and eternal Forms. According to Plato, the empirical realm is not real, as sensory objects are not completely real. Beliefs derived from experience of such objects are therefore vague and unreliable, whereas principles of mathematics and philosophy, discovered by inner, rationalistic meditation on the Forms, constitute the only real knowledge. Such familiar, concrete things as trees, human bodies and animals, which can be known through the senses, are merely shadowy, imperfect copies of their Forms. For every sense object in the empirical world, there is a corresponding perfect Form. These Forms are nonphysical, permanent, eternal, and invisible. How then, you may ask, can one ever know of the Forms if they cannot be known by sense perception? Plato answers this question by stating that the Forms are kn own in thought. They are the objects of thought, therefore, whenever you are thinking, you are thinking of Forms. An important point to note about the Forms is the idea of permanence. The Forms are forever unchanging. An important standard of Platos theory of knowledge was that all genuine objects of knowledge be described without contradiction. Therefore, because all objects perceived by sense undergo change, an assertion can be made that such objects at one time will not be true at a later time. Because what is fully real must, for Plato, be fixed, permanent, and unchanging, he identified the real with the ideal realm of being as opposed to the empirical world of becoming. This all leads to Platos inevitable rejection of empiricism. The true definition of empiricism is, the view that holds sense perception to be the sole source of human knowledge (Jones, 369). It is obvious that this view is highly contradictive with Platos theory of Forms. He thought that propositions derived fro m sensory experience have, at most, a degree of probability; they are not certain. Pure knowledge may only be derived from certain, permanent facts. The argument is really that not only do the things we perceive change, but so do the circumstances in which we perceive them. Take this example, for instance. If I were to hold a cup of hot coffee in my left hand and a cold beer in my right, and then place both hands into a tub of lukewarm water, that same tub of water would feel cold to the left hand, and warm to the right hand. Moreover, things must often seem different to me than they do to anyone else, for the circumstances of others are rarely the same as mine. We are also liable to experience illusions, states of dreaming and hallucination, and our initial judgments are also often influenced by our expectations and biases. As a result of these circumstances, Plato supposes that we can never gain knowledge through our senses. Empiricism is rejected in Platos philosophy, contradicti ng with his theory of Forms to a large degree. Plato conceived the Forms as arranged hierarchically. A dividing line splits the rational realm into C and D. The division of C represents the lower Forms, and D represents the higher Forms,

Selling Halloween Making Money with Spooky Stories

Selling Halloween Making Money with Spooky Stories Halloween in January? Yep. When you write seasonal articles you have to think six to eight months in advance. While you cozy up to a fire, staving off the chill from snow and ice outside, start making notes about seasons months from now . . . like Halloween! Halloween is my favorite holiday when else do you get to enjoy dressing up, eating candy, scaring your friends, and having spooky good fun? For the writer, Halloween is also a great holiday to make a few extra dollars as many magazines are looking for Halloween-themed articles and features. As well as running Halloween features alongside regular content, many magazines like Better Homes and Gardens release a special Halloween issue, and they need articles to fill these pages. Halloween features dont even have to be spooky or scary. Many magazines expand on Halloweens seasonality Like any seasonal feature, Halloween stories need to be pitched several months in advance, so get your spooky cap on and start submitting for next years Halloween features. Halloween Travel Have you ever explored an historic building that you knew was haunted, or enjoyed a city ghost tour hosted Missouri Lifemissourilife.com/contributor-guidelines Horizons Magazine (Alaska Airlines)alaskaairlinesmagazine.com/horizonedition/guidelines/contributor/ Craft Projects Halloween is a great time for kids and adults alike to get creative with costumes and decorative projects. If youve got a crafty idea for a spooky costume, a cute Halloween accessory, or a simple project kids can create themselves, send a tutorial in to a craft magazine. Kids and parenting magazines also often accept craft tutorials. Family Fun Magazinehttp://familyfun.go.com/magazine/contact-us-819817/ Bead Button Magazinehttp://bnb.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/en/Magazine/Submission%20Guidelines/2001/07/BeadandButton%20Submission%20Guidelines.aspx Spooky Food With harvest season in full-swing, food is definitely on our minds over Halloween. What about a spread of pumpkin-themed dishes for the family? Or recipes for healthy Halloween treats the kids will love? Food magazines love receiving innovative twists on seasonal favorites. Country Womancountrywomanmagazine.com/contributor-guidelines/ Delicious Livinghttp://newhope360.com/contact-delicious-living  Horrible Fiction If you write fiction and are thinking of penning a classic Halloween horror tale, there are plenty of magazines waiting to receive your spooky stories. Tor.com fiction submissionstor.com/page/submissions-guidelines Apex Magazinehttp://apex-magazine.com/submission-guidelines/  Lifestyle Features Halloween definitely isnt just for kids. Adults love to dress in costume and enjoy Halloween parties and dates. Perhaps you could write a guide to grown-up Halloween parties, or a recipe for pumpkin-cocktails for a lifestyle magazine. Do you know a couple that got married on Halloween? Maybe you could write about their unusual wedding for a bridal magazine? Bust Magazinebust.com/info/submit-to-bust.html Bride and Groom Magazine (Various States)phoenixbrideandgroom.com/aboutus_writers.php Parenting Tips Between helping with costumes, keeping kids safe and helping them make healthy choices, Trick-or-Treat season can be a nightmare for parents. If youve got some tips on making trick-or-treating safer, healthier and more fun for children, parenting magazines would love to know how. Treasure Valley Family Magazinetreasurevalleyfamily.com/component/content/article/13-footer/46-editorial.html Parents Magazineparents.com/parents/file.jsp?item=/help/writers_guidelines Halloween is a great jumping-off point for a whole range of different article pitches. Magazines are always looking for content on this popular holiday, and submitting new ideas around old topics will definitely get your query a second look. Good luck, and happy haunting!