Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher, one of the most influential figures in Western philosophy. Born into an aristocratic family in Athens in 427 BC, Plato was a student of Socrates and later became the teacher of Aristotle, forming a foundational triad in Western thought. Plato, whose real name was Aristocles, likely received a thorough education in philosophy, music, poetry, and gymnastics, as was customary for young men of his social class. His nickname "Plato" refers to his broad physique which comes from the Greek "platos" meaning "broad.

In his dialogue Phaedrus, Plato presents his “chariot allegory”. An allegory is a narrative or artistic expression in which the characters, events, or settings symbolically represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. It works on two levels, either literally as it describes a story or on a symbolic level. Plato was a master of symbolic allegories where simple or subtle themes would have deeper meaning related to politics, religion, ethics or philosophy. In this particular allegory, Plato describes the soul as a charioteer guiding two winged horses. One horse is noble and well-behaved (symbolizing the rational or spirited part of the soul), the other is unruly and stubborn (representing the appetitive or base desires), The charioteer (symbolizing reason or intellect) must control both and guide the soul toward truth and the divine. This allegory explores the nature of the soul, its struggles, and the ascent to true knowledge and virtue, aligning with Plato's broader metaphysical and ethical philosophy.

2025 why do we care?

While Plato’s philosophical concept is straightforward and simple, the allegory has become a foundational concept across philosophy and religion to describe the human condition.

In 240 AD, philosopher Plotinus of Alexandria Egypt revived Plato’s teaching in starting what is known as Neoplatonism. He built on Plato’s chariot by emphasizing the soul’s ascent towards the divine (the One) and the importance of intellect (Nous) in the governance of human’s lower desires. Some 150 years later, Catholic saint Augustine of Hippo, who was highly influenced by Neoplatonism, adapted the chariot concept into Christian theology, viewing the struggle between flesh and spirit as part of the soul’s journey towards God. For Augustine, reason illuminated by faith must govern the will and passions, echoing the charioteer controlling the horses.

Medieval (Middle Ages) Europe saw the emergence of the Scholastic philosophy. This school of thought aimed to reconcile classical philosophy (especially Aristotle) with Christian theology, and it was deeply tied to the universities and church schools of the Middle Ages. Through the use of logic and reason, the Scholastics emphasized rigorous dialectical reasoning, often in the form of disputation (disputatio). The formula starts with a thesis followed by an objection, a response can than lead to a conclusion. The Scholastics believed faith and reason could both support and clarify each other. The champion of this school was Dominican and Catholic Saint Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas integrated the Platonic idea of rational control over the appetites. He described a soul with intellect, will, and appetites, and emphasized that virtue lies in reason guiding the passions, building on the “chariot allegory”.

Renee Descartes in the 1600’s, from the school of Rationalism, separated mind and body (dualism) and emphasized the dominance of rational thought over emotion. Rationalism is a philosophical view that emphasizes reason as the primary source of knowledge. It holds that certain truths about the world, especially in math, logic, and metaphysics, can be known independently of sensory experience—through the use of pure thought or intellect. Dualism reflects the charioteer’s command over unruly passions through his use of intellect or reason.

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) is widely recognized as the father of psychoanalysis, a groundbreaking and influential system of psychology that reshaped our understanding of the human mind, personality, and behavior. Freud described the human condition as a constant psychological struggle, with the id (wild horse) representing unconscious desires and impulses, the ego (Chariot driver) acting as the rational mediator navigating reality, and the superego (noble and well-behaved horse) embodying internalized morals and ideals that impose restraint and guide ethical behavior.

A simple and timeless image of a chariot and two horses, as powerful and relevant today as ever.

And now you know...

Thanks, Dad, for the gift of curiosity!

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.