Editing Rationalism (section)

====Plato (427–347 BCE)====
{{Main|Plato}}
[[File:Plato by Raphael.png|thumb|[[Plato]] in ''[[The School of Athens]]'', by [[Raphael]]]]
Plato held rational insight to a very high standard, as is seen in his works such as [[Meno]] and [[The Republic (Plato)|The Republic]]. He taught on the [[Theory of Forms]] (or the Theory of Ideas)<ref>Modern English textbooks and translations prefer "Theory of Forms" to "Theory of Ideas", but the latter has a long and respected tradition starting with Cicero and continuing in German philosophy until present, and some English philosophers prefer this in English too. See W. D. Ross, Plato's Theory of Ideas (1951) and [http://www.philosophyprofessor.com/philosophies/platos-theory-of-forms.php this]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927061811/http://www.philosophyprofessor.com/philosophies/platos-theory-of-forms.php|date=2011-09-27}} reference site.</ref><ref>The name of this aspect of Plato's thought is not modern and has not been extracted from certain dialogues by modern scholars. The term was used at least as early as [[Diogenes Laërtius]], who called it (Plato's) "Theory of Forms:" {{lang|grc|Πλάτων ἐν τῇ περὶ τῶν ἰδεῶν ὑπολήψει}}...., {{cite encyclopedia |title=Plato |encyclopedia=Lives of Eminent Philosophers |volume=Book III Paragraph 15 |pages=}}</ref><ref>Plato uses many different words for what is traditionally called ''form'' in English translations and ''idea'' in German and Latin translations (Cicero). These include ''idéa'', ''morphē'', ''eîdos'', and ''parádeigma'', but also ''génos'', ''phýsis'', and ''[[Ousia|ousía]]''. He also uses expressions such as ''to x auto'', "the x itself" or ''kath' auto'' "in itself". See Christian Schäfer: ''Idee/Form/Gestalt/Wesen'', in ''Platon-Lexikon'', Darmstadt 2007, p. 157.</ref> which asserts that the highest and most fundamental kind of reality is not the material world of change [[allegory of the cave|known to us through sensation]], but rather the abstract, non-material (but [[Ousia|substantial]]) world of forms (or ideas).<ref>''Forms (usually given a capital F) were properties or essences of things, treated as non-material abstract, but substantial, entities. They were eternal, changeless, supremely real, and independent of ordinary objects that had their being and properties by 'participating' in them.'' [http://www.philosophyprofessor.com/philosophies/platos-theory-of-forms.php Plato's theory of forms (or ideas)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927061811/http://www.philosophyprofessor.com/philosophies/platos-theory-of-forms.php|date=2011-09-27}}.</ref> For Plato, these forms were accessible only to reason and not to sense.<ref name="Epistemological rationalism in ancient philosophies"/> In fact, it is said that Plato admired reason, especially in [[geometry]], so highly that he had the phrase "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter" inscribed over the door to his academy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://plato-dialogues.org/faq/faq009.htm|title=Plato FAQ: "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter"|first=Bernard F.|last=Suzanne|website=plato-dialogues.org|access-date=2013-05-22|archive-date=2013-05-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519153541/http://plato-dialogues.org/faq/faq009.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>