Platonism

Platonism, founded by Plato in fourth-century BCE Athens, holds that abstract Forms or Ideas — perfect, unchanging archetypes — are the true objects of knowledge, of which the material world is merely an imperfect reflection. The soul has pre-existed and can recollect these Forms through philosophical inquiry. The allegory of the cave and the vision of the philosopher-king are its most celebrated expressions. Platonism's influence extends through Neoplatonism, Augustine, the Renaissance, and into contemporary philosophy of mathematics.