Autism and Platonism

[Greatshield17]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’m pretty asked this once before on another thread on another topic; but do you think Autistic thinking resembles Platonic thinking? Specifically, do you think we Autistic people have some kind of understanding or sense of the Platonic Forms, or are wired to imagine them more, if you personally don’t believe in them. (I personally do believe in them of course) One of the key things that got me suspecting this is our tendency to be idealistic and you know, the Platonic Forms are sometimes referred to as “the Platonic Ideals” and thus again, it makes me wonder if we’re really aiming for those.

Another thing that makes me suspect this, is that I struggle with grammar, and one of the reasons why I struggle with grammar, is that I tend to focus more on the words themselves and what they mean, rather than stringing them together into a sentence; and maybe that’s something Autistic people do. (Albeit, when I was young, I tended focus more on what words sounded like than what they meant; and I think I read somewhere that that actually is something “Level-1” Autistic people tend to do)

What are your thoughts on this? What are your thoughts on Plato and Platonism in general?

 

[Crossbreed]

I understand "platonic" to mean non-sexual or theoretical.
Are you using it in a different way?

 

[Greatshield17]

It’s the Philosophy of Plato a student of Socrates; he believed among other things, that everything we see are just imperfect shadows of their true forms which exist in a higher plane of reality. Catholic philosophy teaches that these ideal forms, these Platonic Forms, exist; in the Mind of God, in our own minds, (due to the fact that we are made in the Image and Likeness of God) and in the things themselves (which is what Aristotle believed, he believed that the Ideal Form existed, in part, in all the imperfect forms of a thing)

I’m looking for a good video that explains this better and will share it with you a bit later.

 

[Judge]

I understand "Platonic" to mean non-sexual or theoretical.
Are you using it in a different way?

Capitalization is the key. -"Of, relating to, or characteristic of Plato or Platonism."

 

[Greatshield17]

It’s the Philosophy of Plato a student of Socrates; he believed among other things, that everything we see are just imperfect shadows of their true forms which exist in a higher plane of reality. Catholic philosophy teaches that these ideal forms, these Platonic Forms, exist; in the Mind of God, in our own minds, (due to the fact that we are made in the Image and Likeness of God) and in the things themselves (which is what Aristotle believed, he believed that the Ideal Form existed, in part, in all the imperfect forms of a thing)

I’m looking for a good video that explains this better and will share it with you a bit later.

Here’s one:

 

[Pahalli]

I like Plato. I recently read the Symposium, and I've read several other works (or parts of works) by him as well ... like Phaedrus, Republic, Phaedo, Lysis and Alcibiades.


The forms and autism... hmm, well, the forms are similar to general abstractions in math and language. Numbers: 1,2,3 [...] and so on, do not exist as anything other than as our conseptualization of 'relationships' between things. A 'thing' is the form of 'any object'.

But yeah, to answer your question: Some people on the spectrum have difficulties with abstract thinking, and some do not. Understanding Plato requires the abilities of thinking in shades of gray and abstract thought, so I guess 'meditating on Plato' or philosophy in general is great exercise for autistic people. We tend to try to uncover 'bedrock' truths and ideals. I know I do. I think more than the average person about the meaning of words, etymology and epistemology. I do not like relativism in any form (whether ontologogical, epistemic or moral).

I guess people on the spectrum in general would agree that the idea of truths and ideals existing independent of mere opinion is more comforting than the idea that there are no such things as transcendental truths and ideals (as in some modern existentialist thought).

I like Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas and the thinking of enlightenment philosophers. I dislike existentialism and especially various forms of philosophical relativism.

 

[ucrenegade]

No because the truth is not simply recollection. Yeshua said I am the way the truth,the light. Torah is truth and because it has been torn away from us by 70 thousand plus denominations we don't just recollect the Torah we must learn it hence why you can study the same Torah portions for years and learn some truth in them each time because Yeshua is that truth and he reveals to whom he chooses. The bible is not based on Greek thinking but rather Hebrew thinking so no autism is not like platonic thinking because I am autistic and I think Hebrew more than Greek.

 

[Alexej]

I like Plato...

Hi and Welcome @Pahalli

Glad to see you have jumped straight in.