Plato-The Three Beds
The Three Beds
Plato talks about representation, using the image of a bed. He explains that when we talk about a bed, there are actually three beds. The first is the bed made by god. The second is the bed made by the carpenter and finally, the third bed is made by the painter. (Plato, 2007, p.424) This is like a process: God creates the original bed, the idea of a bed. The carpenter manufactures beds and the painter creates representations of the bed. This is a simple example used to demonstrate the point that Plato will go on to make.
The point of this illustration is that, according to Plato, the artist, or poet, only ever represents the thing that the other two have created. As logically follows, the artist’s representation of the bed is ‘at third removed from reality.’ (Plato, 2007, pg.425) If the representation is removed from reality, then it cannot be an accurate portrayal.
Although not immediately obvious this is part of the thinking behind postmodernism. If you look back at the post on Rene Magritte and the 'Cest n'est pas une pipe' painting you can see Plato's theory in action. The 'pipe' can exist as a mental concept (aka God for Plato), it can be made (aka the carpenter) or it can be represented (painting, in the Pipe's case an illustration by Magritte) but non of them are the same and are essentially completely different. Where postmodernism differs slightly is that it deals with the fact that many people are unable to separate the three. If you take drinking Coca-Cola as your scenario then when you are drinking 'Coke' you are not just drinking brown sugar water but in fact all the marketing and, ideologies and memories that go with it.
The scene below from 'Falling Down' illustrates the pitfalls of this way of life. It links to Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulacrum beliefs as the image of the Whammy burger and the reality of it differ greatly.
Plato talks about representation, using the image of a bed. He explains that when we talk about a bed, there are actually three beds. The first is the bed made by god. The second is the bed made by the carpenter and finally, the third bed is made by the painter. (Plato, 2007, p.424) This is like a process: God creates the original bed, the idea of a bed. The carpenter manufactures beds and the painter creates representations of the bed. This is a simple example used to demonstrate the point that Plato will go on to make.
The point of this illustration is that, according to Plato, the artist, or poet, only ever represents the thing that the other two have created. As logically follows, the artist’s representation of the bed is ‘at third removed from reality.’ (Plato, 2007, pg.425) If the representation is removed from reality, then it cannot be an accurate portrayal.
Although not immediately obvious this is part of the thinking behind postmodernism. If you look back at the post on Rene Magritte and the 'Cest n'est pas une pipe' painting you can see Plato's theory in action. The 'pipe' can exist as a mental concept (aka God for Plato), it can be made (aka the carpenter) or it can be represented (painting, in the Pipe's case an illustration by Magritte) but non of them are the same and are essentially completely different. Where postmodernism differs slightly is that it deals with the fact that many people are unable to separate the three. If you take drinking Coca-Cola as your scenario then when you are drinking 'Coke' you are not just drinking brown sugar water but in fact all the marketing and, ideologies and memories that go with it.
The scene below from 'Falling Down' illustrates the pitfalls of this way of life. It links to Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulacrum beliefs as the image of the Whammy burger and the reality of it differ greatly.
PLATO is wise man. Thank you for this great post.
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