Plato
Renewing Your Mind
Ligonier Ministries
4.8 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 January 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Considered one of the most pivotal figures in the history of philosophy, Plato’s ideas still impact our world centuries later. Today, R.C. Sproul helps us understand the important principles and paradigms posed by this ancient thinker.
With your donation of any amount, request R.C. Sproul’s book The Consequences of Ideas and his companion teaching series as a special edition DVD collection. You’ll also receive lifetime digital access to the messages and study guide:
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Meet Today’s Teacher:
R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from God’s Word. He was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.
Meet the Host:
Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children.
Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We saw the church in the Middle Ages, in the monastic movement and so on, try to deny all things physical. |
| 0:07.0 | Where does that idea come from? |
| 0:09.0 | It doesn't come from the Old Testament where when God creates a physical world, what's his judgment on it? |
| 0:15.0 | It's good. |
| 0:16.0 | But remember, in Plato's schema, you have two worlds, the ideal world, the eternal world of ideas, and |
| 0:22.7 | then this world. |
| 0:30.1 | Ideas have consequences. |
| 0:32.6 | We've seen that all week, and unfortunately, sometimes those ideas even creep into the church. I'm Nathan W. Bingham |
| 0:40.8 | and I'm glad you're joining us for the Friday edition of Renewing Your Mind. Yesterday we met Socrates. |
| 0:47.4 | Well today we'll meet a famous student of his, Plato, who is considered one of the twin |
| 0:53.3 | giants of Western philosophy. His influence |
| 0:56.6 | has been significant, impacting the church in the Middle Ages, and even some in the church today. |
| 1:02.6 | So what did Plato teach? Here's R. C. Sprole to explain. Almost 30 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit my older cousin, who was an Episcopalian priest of the Anglo-Catholic mode in Philadelphia. |
| 1:23.6 | And this cousin of mine is very refined and culture. |
| 1:29.2 | He's a real student of the fine arts. |
| 1:31.9 | And on that occasion, he took me downtown to Wanamaker's department store. |
| 1:38.0 | Now, the purpose of that visit was not to make purchases, |
| 1:42.0 | but because Wanamakers was featuring a display of a famous painting by Rembrandt von Rye. |
| 1:51.0 | And the name of the painting is Aristotle contemplating the bust of Homer. |
| 1:59.3 | And so my highly refined cousin said to me as we approached the store, he said, boy, you're |
| 2:05.5 | going to get an expansion of your understanding of beauty today, he said, cousin. |
| 2:11.3 | He said, we're going to get to see that world famous painting, Aristotle contemplating the |
... |
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