A Forma da Cama na República de Platão

Abstract

The main thesis I intend to defend here is that, although the Form of the Bed (in the Republic) is mentioned as an intelligible Form, Plato does not intend to include such a Form in his metaphysical hypothesis. Taking into account the context of the argument allows us to understand why the Form of the Bed is needed for the intellegibility of the argumentation of Book X, though, as such, Forms of artifacts should not be assumed as members of the family of Forms. However, I suggest that the criticism of the imitative arts in book X ultimately depends on the existence of the intelligible as such and not of certain specific Forms.