Is the theory that all ideas already exist and only need to be discovered a particularly Platonic one?
I have no idea whether or not Plato actually said this, but it certainly sounds Platonic. Platonism: The central concept of Platonism is the Theory of Forms: the transcendent, perfect archetypes, of which objects in the everyday world are imperfect copies. The highest form is the Form of the Good, the source of all other forms, which could be known by reason. (Wikipedia) Theory of Forms: Plato’s theory of Forms or theory of Ideas asserts that non-material abstract (but substantial) forms (or ideas), and NOT the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality. (Wikipedia) So it sounds like Plato believes that Truth (all ideas) is discovered, not created, and it can only be discovered through reason–the philosophy which I personally endorse 🙂 “The truth about something is what is so about it—the facts in their exact arrangement and proportions. Our beliefs and assertions are true when they correspond to that reality and
