Plato: Republic · 4 of 4 · tr. Benjamin Jowett

Section 1d

And when I speak of the other division of the intelligible, you will understand me to speak of that other sort of knowledge which reason herself attains by the power of dialectic, using the hypotheses not as first principles, but only as hypotheses-- that is to say, as steps and points of departure into a world which is above hypotheses, in order that she may soar beyond them to the first principle of the whole; and clinging to this and then to that which depends on this, by successive steps she descends again without the aid of any sensible object, from ideas, through ideas, and in ideas she ends.

I understand you, he replied; not perfectly, for you seem to me to be describing a task which is really tremendous; but, at any rate, I understand you to say that knowledge and being, which the science of dialectic contemplates, are clearer than the notions of the arts, as they are termed, which proceed from hypotheses only: these are also contemplated by the understanding, and not by the senses: yet, because they start from hypotheses and do not ascend to a principle, those who contemplate them appear to you not to exercise the higher reason upon them, although when a first principle is added to them they are cognizable by the higher reason.

And the habit which is concerned with geometry and the cognate sciences I suppose that you would term understanding and not reason, as being intermediate between opinion and reason.

You have quite conceived my meaning, I said; and now, corresponding to these four divisions, let there be four faculties in the soul-reason answering to the highest, understanding to the second, faith (or conviction) to the third, and perception of shadows to the last-and let there be a scale of them, and let us suppose that the several faculties have clearness in the same degree that their objects have truth.

I understand, he replied, and give my assent, and accept your arrangement.

Themes

◆Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The passage explicitly contrasts knowledge derived from hypotheses (arts) with the higher reason that ascends beyond them, implying the material world is inferior to intellectual truth.

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◆Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

The text establishes a clear ontological opposition between intelligible knowledge (reason) and sensible objects (shadows).

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◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The metaphor of 'soaring beyond them to the first principle' implies a luminous ascent toward divine truth.

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◆Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The text describes a structured scale of faculties descending from higher reason through understanding and faith to perception of shadows.

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◆Evil As Privationtheology

Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.

Shadows are described as deficient objects that require ascent beyond them to reach truth.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The passage defines knowledge as a direct contemplation of ideas by reason without the aid of sensible objects.

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◆Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The text refers to 'the first principle of the whole' which serves as the ultimate source of knowledge.

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◆Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The passage mentions geometry and cognate sciences as examples of intermediate understanding.

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◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The soul is described as descending from ideas to a first principle through successive steps.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The passage explicitly describes the soul's movement 'soaring beyond them' and ascending from shadows to ideas and principles.

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Related passages · 10 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1a

“CHAPTER VII Concerning “Wisdom,” “Mind,” “Reason,” “Truth,” “Faith.” 1. Now, if it like thee, let us consider the Good and Eternal Life as Wise and as Very Wisdom, or rather as the Fount of all wisdom and as Transcending all wisdom and und…”

Both passages discuss the nature of higher knowledge and the limitations of human understanding. Plato's passage describes the ascent of the soul through dialectic to grasp the first principles of reality, while the second passage discusses the transcendent nature of divine wisdom and the limitations of human reason in comprehending it.

◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter I

“Let us then, in the next place, consider the opposing arguments, what they are, and what reason they possess. And if we should discuss some things a little more abundantly, in consequence of speaking freely and at leisure, it is requisite t…”

Both passages discuss the hierarchical nature of knowledge and beings, with Iamblichus describing different types of divine and daemonic entities and their roles, while Plato's passage outlines the levels of understanding and the faculties of the soul corresponding to these levels. Both emphasize the importance of ascending to higher principles or beings to attain true knowledge.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 30

“Section 4 4. But this science, this Dialectic essential to all the three classes alike, what, in sum, is it? It is the Method, or Discipline, that brings with it the power of pronouncing with final truth upon the nature and relation of thin…”

Both passages discuss the role of dialectic in ascending to higher realms of understanding and contemplating the nature of reality. They emphasize the movement from hypotheses to first principles and the intellectual journey towards unity and authentic knowledge.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 157 (part 2)

“If we are answered that the distinction is merely a process of our thought, then, at once, the theory of a plurality in the Divine Hypostasis is abandoned: further, the question is opened whether our thought can entertain a knowing principl…”

Both passages discuss the nature of divine intellect and the unity of thought and being. Plotinus emphasizes the self-thinking nature of the Divine Mind, while Plato describes the ascent of reason to the first principle of the whole, both exploring the concept of higher knowledge and its unity.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 253

“Section 1 1. Eternity and Time; two entirely separate things, we explain "the one having its being in the everlasting Kind, the other in the realm of Process, in our own Universe"; and, by continually using the words and assigning every phe…”

Both passages discuss the nature of higher knowledge and the process of ascending from hypotheses to first principles. Plato's dialogue in the Republic and the passage from Select Works both emphasize the importance of dialectic and the understanding of eternal truths beyond the sensible world.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 332

“Section 12 12. It may be urged that all the multiplicity and development are the work of Nature, but that, since there is wisdom within the All, there must be also, by the side of such natural operation, acts of reasoning and of memory. But…”

Both passages discuss the nature of wisdom and the process of reasoning, emphasizing the idea of a higher, unchanging principle that transcends the need for reasoning or memory. They both explore the concept of a divine or ultimate wisdom that is in a state of repose, beyond the processes of cogitation.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 343 (part 1)

“Section 23 23. A first principle is that the knowing of sensible objects is an act of the soul, or of the living conjoint, becoming aware of the quality of certain corporeal entities, and appropriating the ideas present in them. This appr…”

Both passages discuss the nature of knowledge and the soul's ability to perceive and understand the world. Plato's passage focuses on the ascent of the soul through dialectic to grasp the first principles of the intelligible world, while the second passage explores the soul's interaction with sensible objects and the necessity of an intermediary for knowledge. Both emphasize the hierarchical nature of understanding and the soul's role in apprehending truth.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 562

“Section 1 1. We have now explained our conception of Reality [True Being] and considered how far it agrees with the teaching of Plato. We have still to investigate the opposed principle [the principle of Becoming]. There is the possibility…”

Both passages discuss the nature of reality and the distinction between the intelligible and sensible realms. They explore the hierarchical structure of existence and the methods of understanding it, though from different philosophical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 609

“Section 2 2. Now the reasoning faculty which undertakes this problem is not a unity but a thing of parts; it brings the bodily nature into the enquiry, borrowing its principles from the corporeal: thus it thinks of the Essential Existence a…”

Both passages discuss the nature of the intellectual or higher realm and the distinction between it and the corporeal or sensory realm. They emphasize the importance of appropriate principles and methods for understanding the higher realm, showing a genuine conceptual parallel.

◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|22. Summary And General Key Of The Four Secret Sciencesa

“SIGNA TROT PAN LET us now summarize the entire science by its principles. Analogy is the final word of science and the first word of faith. Harmony consists in equilibrium, and equilibrium subsists by the analogy of contraries. Absolute…”

Both passages discuss the nature of knowledge and the ascent from hypotheses to higher principles. Plato's dialectic and the Hermetic text's analogy both describe a process of moving beyond the immediate and tangible to grasp higher truths, though they use different terminology and frameworks.