The philosopher’s ghost: Plato the idealist, and his ironic revival through AI

Here’s an oversimplification of the essence of Plato’s thought: Meaning is derived not from things as they are, but rather the idea of them. Take the word “chair”. Plato thought that the various kinds of chairs fall into the category “chair” because there is an ideal world in which there is an ideal idea of a chair. Ironically, then, it now appears that the mundane empirical world — of science, research, computers and archaeology — is set to change much of what we know about the life and work of arguably the world’s best-known idealist.

It’s a bit like the plot of an Indiana Jones film, or another instalment of the Da Vinci Code. From the volcanic ash around Mount Vesuvius, there emerged a scroll, frayed and tattered with writing not spoken or seen for thousands of years. With the help of linguists, philologists, archaeologists and even AI and machine learning models, the papyrus scroll’s inscrutable secrets have been uncovered. Earlier this week, information about where the philosopher was likely laid to rest was shared and the text even reveals that when ailing, before he died at 81, he found the energy to criticise the form of a musician. Those who know Plato would undoubtedly say, “how typical”.

Plato’s ideas have haunted or enlightened (depending on the point of view) the corridors of universities and minds of scholars for millennia. Recently, though, the essentialism he has come to be associated with has fallen out of fashion. The philosophical and literary canon he belongs to is politically suspect. It is considered part of a tradition that focused on “dead White men”, ignoring diverse voices especially from the margins. Of course, to criticise a towering figure, to respond to him, it’s important first to read the book. Perhaps, aided by AI and renewed interest in the details of his life, the Socratic method Plato bequeathed to the world can be applied again to his work.