Term Paper on "Plato the Failure of Rationalism: A Response"

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Plato

The failure of rationalism: A response to Plato and Descartes

In the "Republic," the ancient Greek rationalist Socrates admits that, to a great extent, his vision of an ideal society is just that -- an ideal. The concept of a world governed solely by philosopher kings cannot be perfectly realized, but as a 'Platonic ideal' he states that it is necessary to critically engage with this concept. His theoretical societal 'form' is perfect, he alleges, because it is supremely rational, with every individual perfectly placed in his or her social category, as determined by his or her innate abilities. Nothing is left to chance, in his world governed by philosopher kings, everything is rationally determined.

Plato's ideal begs us to ask a very obvious question: how rational can a society be, if it offers no guidance as to how to negotiate the complexities of lived reality? What of the possibilities of these 'ideal' philosophers becoming tyrants? After all, communists believed that their society was a philosophical 'ideal.' And within the philosophical community, every now and then, an idealist philosopher rears his ugly head (as opposed to an idealistic philosopher) who explains how, for example, eugenics might be morally justified in theory, even though such a policy might lead to genocide and a very clumsily executed form of genocide at that, given that no human being really possesses the wisdom to impartially decide who will live and die. Believing that a rational system of governance or just rationality on an abstract level can exist in an objective fashion, without reference to the irrational, ugly, or biased impulses in human nature is perhaps the m

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ost 'irrational' idea of all.

One of the great ironies of the limits of philosophical rationalism is seen in the example of Rene Descartes, who famously resolved that there was 'proof' of human existence, and God, because there must be a 'being' doing his thinking and meditating, a being somehow separate from the body. Descartes could not have known that modern scientific research would yield the stunning finding that it is the body that produces the mind, not vice versa (Descartes believed that somatic or bodily awareness came after the coming into being of consciousness and one's spiritual birth as a human entity). However, damage to the body, such as occurs during a stroke, is a sobering reminder of how easily one's thought patterns can alter our rational deductive capacity because of physical, neurological damage. This is one reason why Charles Darwin's findings were so disturbing to religious individuals, because he highlighted how human consciousness, as well as the human body, did not suddenly generate from nothing, but rather roots in physical, slowly evolving human evolution.

It might be argued that what Darwin discovered with deductive logic could not have been possible, or at least, was supported by the author Francis Bacon's earlier stress on the need to restore the senses to their appropriate place in finding out what was the correct way to apprehend reality. Bacon's belief structures about the best way to experience consciousness formed the foundations of a scientific method based upon empiricism, rather than rational deduction based upon entirely internal logic, as exemplified in Plato or Descartes. For example, a political philosopher in the Platonic tradition might merely as what is 'best' in terms of how to govern society. A Bacon or Darwinian empiricist would instead counsel someone to observe the world around them, and see how individuals have behaved in the past, when placed in positions of leadership and authority. Without some checks upon the governing, the empirical observer might note, rulers tend to be autocratic, and when a good and effective autocrat dies (such as Elizabeth I), there is a danger that an ineffective… READ MORE

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Reading Assignment:

KSSR:

Plato: from The Republic 51 [Note: Plato spends the first 5 pages here justifying equality for women; this is important to the history of women's rights, but don't get so immersed in Socrates' argument here that you neglect Plato's singular ideas on pages 56-64; there are several ideas here on which you will need to comment]

Descartes: from Discourse on Method 65 [pay particular attention to the four steps of his method, especially step one]

Bacon: Preface to Novum Organum 91 [pay particular attention to his idea of the *****progressive stages of certainty*****]

Darwin: from The Descent of Man 94

Nietzsche: from The Antichrist, Friedrich Nietzsche 75 [when Nietzsche uses the word *****pity***** he means compassion; he also means for this value to stand for all Christian values. If you disagree with Nietzsche, the best way to argue against his position is to explain the benefits (to society and to the individual) of the values he attacks.]

IN DEFENSE OF THE WEST:

Chapter Two Making Tradition Rational and Scientific 15

NOTE: Dr. Devine's book is intended to provide historical and philosophical context for the ideas in the main readings each week. You do not have to refer to ideas from his book in your threads each week, though you may (briefly) if you wish.

Each of these readings promotes a scientific approach to understanding reality generally and sometimes human behavior in particular. Some of them sharply critique faith and/or traditional knowledge. Some proposed ideas for constructing a better society. All of them challenge us as readers with the originality or perhaps outrageousness of their thoughts and approaches. WRITE A 1,000-WORD MINIMUM ESSAY IN WHICH YOU ARGUE EITHER FOR OR AGAINST A STRICTLY SCIENTIFIC OR RATIONAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING REALITY, INCLUDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR, AND ADDRESSING HUMAN PROBLEMS, INCLUDING SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ONES.

A Word of Advice: Do not be abashed by the famousness of these authorities. You should be willing to critique the logic and conclusions of these critics of Western traditions. However, you must give good, argumentatively defensible reasons for either agreeing or disagreeing with their ideas. For one example, if you are a person of faith, it is understandable that you might take offense at Nietzsche's attack on Christian values. In fact, Nietzsche would be disappointed if you were not offended. However, just saying he's wrong because he attacks faith and Christian values is not persuasive. Please remember that supplying reasons for our opinions is what distinguishes critical opinions from ordinary opinions.

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