The article is also an abstract from my published book: “Self Improvement for Peaceful Living” for the youngsters and the other grown ups, initially it was one of the topics in Metaphysics. The Professor thankfully gave comment that the thesis work grasps the Plato’s mind. Prof. Gill was the head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, where, I wrote it as the first year student of graduation in Mathematical Sciences. It comprises the Philosophy in the wisdom of East and the West. It says that we all are equal at the soul level, thus we can accept others as we are, and it always helps.

It was edited for publication in the magazines, and was published. This is in accordance with Metaphysical Concept of the Soul, Spiritualism and the related aspects of the Life and Death, and the value system that we need for peace and conflict resolving with non-violence. Let us give a reading. Thanks!

There is a very beautiful and blissful relation between materialism and spiritualism, that is, matter and soul. We take one of the most ancient personalities for this timeless topic; Plato is one of the greatest philosophers who knocked our modern civilization. He and many others tried to put Philosophy into practical shape, which we have tried to explain as Philselfology. We will take Plato's quest for peace of mind as he expresses it as "Form": the very essence of peace and harmony in our learnning to live and of living in general . It is the contrast between thought and perception. It seems that this one sentence leads us into the realm of 'Theory of Forms" which Plato gave.

In Plato's view, the sensible objects (or things) are not perfect but there are perfect entities, which are invisible to us. They are forms. They (forms) are realities of which sensible objects are mere appearances or phenomenon and each form is perfect original, of which sensible things are imperfect copies. What he is trying to say may be put in logical way that they (sensible objects) are only semi-real and occupy an intermediate position between what is completely real (the forms) and what is completely unreal. In "Phaedo" Socrates talks about 'Forms'. However, it seems fair to call it Plato's 'Theory of Forms' because the essential reality, the form or idea-Plato's view of it is what takes him beyond Socrates to a distinctive doctrine of his own. In "Phaedo,” there are the arguments which are based on the theory of Forms, and which lead to establish (or try to) that soul is immortal as the argument for immortality in the "Phaedo" were largely based on the simple and uniform nature of the soul and its kinship thereby with the Forms.

It seems that Plato's view the soul is the bridge between this world (sensible world) and 'hidden world' (as he calls) and throughout it, we can comprehend and gain knowledge of both worlds. Once the forms have made their appearance, it is by means of the soul and its functions that Plato endeavors to bridge the gap between the two worlds. However, it also seems that his concern is to get knowledge of hidden world. Moreover, Plato's effort throughout the "Phaedo" is to show that the immortality of the soul is somehow involved in its relation to the Form. It seems acceptable to consider first the Theory of Forms and then how Plato uses it to argue for the immortality of the soul.

It appears hard to comprehend but easy to criticize the theory of forms leading to immortality in modern views we have. However, it seems wise here to first comprehend what Plato was thinking in his own views. To start with, the theory of forms seems, the analysis of change of any kind in any thing. This, one of the ways of explanation is so logical and beautiful that it touches intellect of any age. Ordinary things and creatures in the everyday world are mutable. A leaf, which was green yesterday, may be brown today. A change is always a change from something A to something else B, and A and B cannot themselves be things that change. In other words, it seems that (Plato's) one form does not change to the other form itself, so these forms are independent.

In this example of leaf, the color was changed from green to brown. However, this relation is simple. However, then Plato brings very intellectual and complex idea of form, which leads us to think about the hidden world, which Plato describes. If we ask for the object which we reason about say sum of the angles of a triangle is a straight angle i.e., general form of shape of the triangular. We reason about the visible, permanent, perfect, unchanging and opposite free triangle. It seems that Plato puts this triangle in hidden world and all other triangles are drawn from the thought of the triangle. It is wise to mention that, while these ideas are leading us to hidden world, this idea of triangle and triangles, give idea of "one over many" which is also one description of Forms.

In all triangles, there is one thing common, that is, shape of the triangular. We cannot count all leaves in the forest but we know one thing that there is one thing common among all kinds of leaves and that is "leaf." It implies that "leaf" is 'Form', as it seems to. It seems that Plato is putting the idea that we may not see all things but from the 'Form" they have we can know about them in certain sense.

With Greek's mathematical touch, Plato puts mathematical thought into the theory of Forms. The nature of numbers and of mathematical thought is important explanation of Forms. As we have seen in the example of triangle that mathematical thought of triangle is a fair example of 'forms'. Moreover the nature of numbers represents what we may call "timeless truth", that is, what we know about particular things, creatures, etc. in everyday world are tensed truths for example we cannot say that 49 used to be a square number. If this statement is true, it is eternally or, better timelessly true. It seems that this view leads that 'Forms' are timeless entities. This takes us to 'forms' in a way, which can not be attached to (or attained by) body but soul, because in general ideas we can establish whatever want to by our knowledge and power of reasoning.

In general, the very possibility of thought and language about any subject matter at all. This gives idea that generality, in this way leads to any side of the 'Form.' However, by keeping one thing in mind that forms are invisible to the eye, but the mental organ that sees them, it does not appear in two or more different ways. Therefore, it seems intelligible to take 'Form' as unique for what it is for, even though we can consider many sides of it. For example the for example the Form 'courage' can be taken necessary or not necessary for humans, but 'courage' in itself is unique 'Form.'

Now we consider very important thing, the contrast between thought and perception. Plato says that this world (sensible or visible world) is not perfect. The visible world is imperfect, contradictory and unreal. Knowledge by perception is particular, superficial and worth little compared with what rational thought can give us. Moreover, he says that the mind is like 'forms' simple and invisible and the mirror of its objects of thought. Because Plato believes that, there is the "hidden world." It is not point of our concern to prove. This world is not real, so he from his views on forms thinks and believes that whether this "hidden world" exists or not. However, it is important to realize that from these definitions Plato starts building the concept of the immortality of the soul.

He brings forward very fundamental idea that certain sorts of relationship hold among things-opposite generally. He supports this argument with intelligent understanding. For example, whenever we put number 3 it will bring oddness with it. Even though 3 are sharing oddness with infinite odd numbers but there is, something, which is of great importance, that is, 3, does not have its opposite. However, opposite of oddness is evenness and if we bring evenness both oddness and 3 will disappear or leave. Therefore, oddness and evenness are opposite forms.

Therefore, while oddness can never become evenness, these are Forms. Similarly death and life are opposite of each other. Moreover, life and soul go together as Plato says. As death is defined as separation of soul from body in "Phaedo." Now in "Phaedo" Socrates develops many arguments in favor of immortality of the soul.

Socrates gives an argument to show that when pairs of opposite exist, the one comes from the other sleeping is succeeded by waking, walking by sleeping and walking by sleeping. In the same way, from life comes death and form death, life. In Plato's (or Socrates’) mind, it follows that the souls of the dead exist somewhere, and come back to earth in due course. Socrates believes that issued form the hand of God, the soul lives in the presence of the forms. It appears reasonable that death and life generate each other when we consider the argument that all things, which have opposites, are generated from their opposites.

Anyhow, besides this argument, Socrates brings the argument of recollection that the fact that we have ideas such as exact equality, which cannot be derived from experience, yet we know what we mean by absolute equality from previous existence. Here he argues that in our learning we recollect which he believes to be from the past life. Moreover, from this he concludes that the soul must, therefore, have existed before birth. This recollection is also concerned with Forms. For it is with coming to understand certain concepts, in particular those that give rise to Theory of Forms that the doctrine of recollection is concerned.

Socrates next argues that the soul must be immortal in virtue of its affinity to unchanging and eternal Forms. This argument is known as Affinity argument, it brings very important point to be considered, and that is that soul is imperishable. It may lead us to write this about soul that the eternal preservation of the soul in the cold storage of eternally frozen absolute forms. Socrates puts very logical and intelligent arguments to argue that soul is immortal and imperishable. In his final argument, he says, soul, which brings life to the body, cannot admit death, and it is therefore immortal.

Moreover, since the immortal is imperishable, soul cannot perish but withdrawn at the onset of death. When we reflect on the theory of forms and how it is used to argue for the immortality of the soul, we seem to be agreeing with Plato. Concerning the criticism of this we can say that Plato did not deduce the theory of Forms from false premises. The only odd thing which may be for modern reader is that Plato believes that we believe few things too, as he does one other thing to be mentioned is about Plato is revolutionary effort, is that "Phaedo" with the feeling that Plato has not succeeded in saying all that was in his mind. It seems logical to conclude that by means of fascinating argument that the death of the soul is utterly inconceivable since it is self-contradictory. Not only is the soul eternal and immortal, the statement the soul is immortal is a logically, necessary truth.

So we conclude that the immortal element, the soul in human, is one with and non-different from God or Nature and it is identical with the soul of all humankind. Yet, common sense assures us that each soul is different from every other soul and that god is different from the sum total of all souls. It is the duty of the philosopher to investigate into the problem as to whether there is one soul or many and whether every individual soul is different from every other. If we consider the question carefully we will find that we cannot say that each soul is a numerical entity, for we cannot apply the notion of number to spiritual being.

We can speak of a material body in terms of arithmetic but arithmetic only treats of two things, extension and duration, neither of which can be applied to spiritual being. Hence, it is not philosophic to speak of the soul as one or as many. Thus, we all as human beings are seeking peace of mind for ourselves with oneness with Mother Nature or God or dynamic continuity of vitality of universe.

Let us pause for philosophical approach for peace and conflict resolving

* Have we ever tried to resole conflicts of peace within us?

* Are we aware that great people like Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle etc. were great peacemaker for their ideas and actions were peaceful and ideal?

* Do Plato and Socrates describe us appreciating the essence of peace that lies behind the forms as?

* Do we understand that peace is an outcome of harmony between spirit and matter, i.e., spiritualism and materialism?
* Are we going towards peaceful conclusion after passing of so many centuries?

(An extract from the youngster book: Learning to Live a Peaceful Life by me, Dr. Harmander Singh)