Plato's "The Republic"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the concept of the divided line is deceptively simple on the face of things; however, Plato's philosophic reasoning is never simple. The author points out that the first pair of divisions is those belonging to the visible world; whereas, the second pair of divisions refers to what the character of Socrates calls the intelligible world. The paper concludes, by assuming, that Plato's reason is working toward the concept of enlightenment.

From the Paper:

"The concept of the divided line is deceptively simple on the face of things. Plato's philosophic reasoning is never simple, however. By reasoning using this concept, Socrates explains that there are two "ruling powers." One of these powers is the intellectual, or intelligible, world, while the other is the visible world. Socrates tells Glaucon to imagine that this line is divided into two unequal parts, with the smaller part belonging to the visible world. This division is further divided, with each section being divided into two again. This process leaves us with four divisions. The first pair of divisions to consider is those belonging to the visible world. This pair is that which we see and imagine every day."

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