plato in three dimensions
by hayden McConnell
3D printing is a technology that allows us to draft and create 3D computer models and print them out as objects. This allows individual people to print their own designs, tools, replacement parts, and everyday objects like cups, forks, knives, and this list goes on and on. It is a relatively new technology, invented in 1984 by Chuck Hull. It is still being used in new ways and constantly improved upon, using new materials, software, and methods. What it does is give a lot of power to the individual and consumer, something that government and industry would frown upon, and so would Plato.
Most people, corrupted as they are, are for him fundamentally irrational, driven by their appetites, egoistic passions, and informed by false beliefs. If they choose to be just and obey laws, it is only because they lack the power to act criminally and are afraid of punishment (Republic, 359a). So if you give people a device that would allow them to do and create as they please, Plato would believe it would be abused to its max extent as much as possible unless banned or regulated. Already there has been a crackdown on 3D printed guns, but it was too late, as hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the file ‘’just to stick it to the man.’’
But there are other applications and developments recently, in which some 3D printers are now capable of printing metallic structures and devices, and researches are looking into printing organs using patient DNA. This would eradicate the need for transplants, save the lives of people who need them and can’t get them, and the organs would always be compatible with the recipient. This type of technology is so far ahead of Plato’s time, his possible views on this technology can never truly be known, as this is still new by our standards.
According to Plato’s form theory, there exists one, true forms of all everyday objects, where there is the one true form of desk, that represents all desks. A desk, the physical desk, is a reflection of that form, and art or poetry of a desk is an imitation, further removed from the truth, and useless in its existence. But using a computer and 3D printer, we can create and print things that had never before existed. It exists in our minds at first, then as an ‘’art’’ or ‘’sculpture’’ on a computer screen, and finally as an actual object. Was there a form of that original idea to begin with, or did it originate in our minds (which isn’t possible according to Plato, who believed we didn’t learn, just remembered). Does this then mean that man has created a form in his mind, then an imitation on a computer, then a reflection with a 3D printer? The bigger question is: Has man created a form, or is the notion of form in the first place simply created by man?
If Plato saw what we could do today, we would be gods who could think and create at a whim; we would be the pinnacle of human evolution. However, we know that technology will advance far beyond today’s capabilities, and we have even become complacent with the insanely advanced world we live in, but despite all the technological advancements, humans have stayed the same. A baby born in Plato’s time that grew up in our time would be just like us, and a baby born today and raised in Plato’s time would be just like them. A man back then is just as capable of creating forms in his mind as a man today, and the only difference between us is our technology. He would be awed and amazed by the ideas presented by the 3D printer, and would likely have to rethink his philosophies, which applied partly to his time and our time, can be changed and influenced by new technologies like this.
Most people, corrupted as they are, are for him fundamentally irrational, driven by their appetites, egoistic passions, and informed by false beliefs. If they choose to be just and obey laws, it is only because they lack the power to act criminally and are afraid of punishment (Republic, 359a). So if you give people a device that would allow them to do and create as they please, Plato would believe it would be abused to its max extent as much as possible unless banned or regulated. Already there has been a crackdown on 3D printed guns, but it was too late, as hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the file ‘’just to stick it to the man.’’
But there are other applications and developments recently, in which some 3D printers are now capable of printing metallic structures and devices, and researches are looking into printing organs using patient DNA. This would eradicate the need for transplants, save the lives of people who need them and can’t get them, and the organs would always be compatible with the recipient. This type of technology is so far ahead of Plato’s time, his possible views on this technology can never truly be known, as this is still new by our standards.
According to Plato’s form theory, there exists one, true forms of all everyday objects, where there is the one true form of desk, that represents all desks. A desk, the physical desk, is a reflection of that form, and art or poetry of a desk is an imitation, further removed from the truth, and useless in its existence. But using a computer and 3D printer, we can create and print things that had never before existed. It exists in our minds at first, then as an ‘’art’’ or ‘’sculpture’’ on a computer screen, and finally as an actual object. Was there a form of that original idea to begin with, or did it originate in our minds (which isn’t possible according to Plato, who believed we didn’t learn, just remembered). Does this then mean that man has created a form in his mind, then an imitation on a computer, then a reflection with a 3D printer? The bigger question is: Has man created a form, or is the notion of form in the first place simply created by man?
If Plato saw what we could do today, we would be gods who could think and create at a whim; we would be the pinnacle of human evolution. However, we know that technology will advance far beyond today’s capabilities, and we have even become complacent with the insanely advanced world we live in, but despite all the technological advancements, humans have stayed the same. A baby born in Plato’s time that grew up in our time would be just like us, and a baby born today and raised in Plato’s time would be just like them. A man back then is just as capable of creating forms in his mind as a man today, and the only difference between us is our technology. He would be awed and amazed by the ideas presented by the 3D printer, and would likely have to rethink his philosophies, which applied partly to his time and our time, can be changed and influenced by new technologies like this.