The intended use of this subreddit is for the discussion of historically accurate Neoplatonism and all topics and figures it is related to, such as Platonism, Middle-Platonism, Theurgy, etc.
So I wanted to make a post and see something get cleared for me.
What grounds do we have that base the things claimed by Plato to be true? What were things originally said by him that others didn’t speak about before? To the people, why do you follow Plato?
What made you choose this over other things that might be true?
The reasoning why im asking is because as someone who doesn’t know much but is studying Platonism, I come everyday with the knowledge that I know nothing. And so I contemplate to find truths.
And, while I’m not trying to test anyone, my intentions are good it’s just that curiosity has bit my tongue, im just trying to figure things out and learn. And if you could provide sources that assist you in this, please, all the better.
What made you convinced that “hey this is the truth, I wanna follow this”?
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I don’t think there’s any particular argument or anything that led me to believe that what Plato said was true, at least not initially.
What drew me to Plato, and the reason I find exploring reality through a Platonist lense the most tenable, is the way he philosophized and the methods he used. His dialectic to me seemed to be both natural and intuitive and at the same time incredibly powerful and useful.
The idea isn’t just to take Plato at his word that what he says is true because he has good (or not) arguments. It’s to listen to what he says and go experience it for yourself, taking up the dialectic and exploring on your own.
What’s written in the pages of the dialogues is an expression of what Plato’s found on his journey and he’s showing you the path to go and make that journey yourself. And I think that’s the real value of Platonism and Plato’s works.
Regarding specific ideas that originated with him, others before him had already begun to explore the nature of number (Pythagoras), or the nature of the world and whether it was fixed and one (Parmenides) or only changing (Heraclitus). Plato was seemingly the first to put all these together and determine what is the nature of fixed things and things in flux, and in what way both are true and not true, and how these relate to the one and the many. And ultimately this led to the forms which are often cited as his chiefly novel idea.
To me, Plato is but one link of the great chain of wisdom. His contributions were an integral part of that chain, but he's still one among many. Parmenides before him, Empedocles, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, the Egyptians, (and more), they all laid important groundwork for Plato just as Plato laid important groundwork for those after him.
Plato doesn't really assert dogmas, though. Socrates elucidates truth with dialectic, but the dialogues often end up without a solid conclusion.
In terms of Neoplatonism, specifically Plotinus, my affinity was generated through the drive to find further elucidation for a personal meditative experience. Plotinus just nailed the details, made things clearer, and provided a basis for further exploration.
I don't think I would say "this is the truth, I wanna follow this". I am a person convinced about general validity of the natural human religiosity - not revealed in a divine act (like in Abrahamic religions), but growing out of traditions and experiences of generations. It's difficult to pit one such tradition against the other and I don't think this is necessary or helpful. So this is my starting point. But apart from religious dimension, I am looking for some philosophical depth that would illuminate this religious experience and add some metaphysical and ethical depth. As I come from the Western background, Plato seemed to me to be the person to go to. It's the most approachable to me and I don't feel like someone pretending to be someone different culturally than I am. Still, I am always reading additional material from Indian or Chinese traditions just to enrich my understanding and see additional perspectives.
Long story short, Plato is one way to approach the reality, you need to be grounded somewhere as your base, but I wouldn't say he is infallible.
I emerged out of a white supremacist cult, filled to the brim with pseudoscience & pseudohistory.
As you can imagine I did a lot of searching after making my escape. But the most powerful, thus important, find for me was the analogy of the divided line & the allegory of the cave. They guide my life to this day. After all, they are the basis on which we can understand what the difference between philosophy & philodoxy are, and thus make the difference between intellectual freedom & captivity.
Shine On