Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Theory of Forms what? what?

I love the ancient idea of Theory of Forms by Plato. I try to reference it as much as possible in conversation.

The idea that there are two worlds, the real one, and than a higher one of perfect ideas is a very old-fashioned belief. The Theory is summed up as this:

The Theory of Forms typically refers to Plato's belief that the material world as it seems to us is not the real world, but only a shadow of the real world. All relation as form becomes the basis for discovery of the form, an inference of the ancient Greek schools.
-From the Wikipedia article

Case in point: Plato actually opposed to the creation of "art" because it was imitating something in our reality, which was already a bastardized version of what existed as a "being" form. As if where an object stood in the hierarchy or reality determined its worth.

Anyway, I find anything that perverts this presumed hierarchy of the world refreshing, like this hotel room with all the edges outlined to make it look like a cartoon:

Link.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The link seems to be broken to the hotel room that you took the picture from.