What do Plato and C.S. Lewis have in common? One curious thing about Platonic ideas is that Plato used the Greek word for idea (ξ៴δĎ, eidĹ), which means âto see,â to denote something one cannot see. For Plato, the idea of a thing is its invisible essence. A carrot can be seen; the idea of a carrot cannot. âCarrotnessâ is invisible.
And yet, Plato uses the word âξ៴δĎ,â which means âto see,â to point to the invisible. Why? How do you see the invisible? In Platoâs mind, a thing is not in one of two states â existing or not existing. It can be in a wide range of states depending on how far it is from the Idea of the thing. The closer a thing is to the Idea of the thing the more it âexists.â
Thatâs why Plato uses the term âanamnesis,â which means re-collection,to suggest that learning is essentially the soulâs act of remembering something that it has always known from its existence in the realm of Ideas. The soul is from that realm. It recognizes the perfect Ideas behind the shadows of this world â or it doesnât.
Thatâs why human consciousness is symbolic. Whatever it looks at, it tries to âseeâ (ξ៴δĎ) â or rather âsee through.â Its question is, âDo I recognize whatâs behind this thing or not?â For the soul all things are symbolic. It strives to see the primal creative Logos (the perfect Idea) behind all things.
When it doesnât it feels bad â the soul abides in the realm of symbols. When it does, it feels good because it recognizes its homeland. When the soul reads the pure poesis off the creation, it thrives. In Hebrews 8:5, it says about priests:
âThey serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’â
When the soul creates, it always re-creates. It strives to remember what it saw in heaven before creating something on earth. It wants to create things that âtruly exist.â The more symbolic meaning it imbues in a thing, the more it reminds us of heaven.
âCreation happens when the conscious mind allows the deeper, unconscious forces to emerge and manifest in the form of symbols.â Carl Jung
Thatâs why C.S. Lewis says in The Four Loves,
âThe most important thing a mother can do for her child is to show him that he does not need her.â
The best form of parenting is to gradually redirect the childâs gaze from shadows to realities. The role of the mother (and father) is to show the child that they are not their real mother and father. They have Another Mother and Father. Human parenting is at its best when the childâs gaze is not tied to their earthly parents but sees through the parents to catch a glimpse of the real Mother and Father.
What do Plato and C.S. Lewis have in common?
A shadow is good only when it points to heaven and bad when it blocks the view of heaven. We think we live among things, but we live among symbols. If we are surrounded by things that cannot be recognized as symbols, we feel dead inside. When we recognize things as symbols, we come alive. Our eyes sparkle. We recognize the primordial poesis (the making) behind the world of shadows. We return home.