Platonism
Reality consists of eternal Forms; the physical world is their imperfect copy.
Overview
Plato argued that the physical world we perceive is not truly real — it is a world of shadows and imperfect copies. True reality consists of eternal, unchanging Forms: perfect abstractions like Justice, Beauty, and the Good. Knowledge is not derived from the senses but from rational contemplation of these Forms. The soul is immortal and has access to the Forms through reason and philosophical inquiry.
Origins
Platonism grew from Socrates' insistence that concepts like justice and beauty have real, objective definitions — Plato extended this into a full metaphysical system. His Academy (founded c. 387 BCE) became the institutional home of this tradition, which dominated Western philosophy for centuries and shaped Christian theology in lasting ways.
Key Thinkers (3)
Plato
428 BCE – 348 BCE
Reality consists of eternal, perfect Forms: the physical world is their shadow.
Plotinus
204 CE – 270 CE
All reality emanates from the One: an ineffable, transcendent unity beyond being.
Iris Murdoch
1919 CE – 1999 CE
Morality is not about dramatic choices but about the quality of attention we pay to reality.