The Platonic Tradition

Summary

This engaging course of lectures begins by providing a detailed and accurate overview of Plato's philosophy and it's central idea - the idea of a transcendent reality that has popularly become known as the theory of the Forms. Professor Kreeft then takes us on a concise journey through Western Philosophical history to show how that central idea - the theory of forms - has either been built upon or reacted to by philosophers ever since. We explore not only the work of Plato, but also that of several other great voices in the Western Philosophical tradition - Aristotle, Plotinus, and Augustine - each of whom gave the forms a new metaphysical address. Later lectures explore both Christian Platonists and philosophical movements such as Positivism and Nihilism which have been anti-Platonist in their outlook. In the end we are left with a richer appreciation for Plato's work and its enduring legacy.