play dough anyone?

Was sorting through some junk under my be bed last night and found some old notes from my philosophy days. God I sound like that was ages ago when in essence it was only 2 years. I’m afraid to think of what I’ll sound like at 50. So where were we? Ah yes… Plato’s theory of forms. I remember being blown away by it when I initially wrapped my head round the concept the first time but rereading it again just sort of rekindled this giddy feeling I get inside when I feel like I’ve seen something in a new light. I suppose before I start to rant and rave about all the implications and what a powerful tool it can be in the wonderful world of deep conversations, a brief synopsis is in order. Basically the premise lies in the idea that there are two realms. The first being the material world, the one we perceive with our senses and the second being the realm of forms. The realm of forms can be sorta kinda but not exactly thought of as the concept, attributes, characteristics or idea of an object. An example is probably the best way to understand what I’m on about… take for example a basket ball. The actual manifestation of the ball and its physical presence is one realm and its roundness, texture, ball ness, color are all its different forms. It is the combination of these forms that make it a basketball. Now the trick is this. Plato says these forms don’t exist in the physical world. They are in our minds and are how we identify objects. With that said he goes on to state that if these forms are found in the physical world then what we perceive with our senses is in fact a copy of the form, an imperfect on if u will. Everyone knows what a perfect circle is but once we attempt to put it on paper there are slight imperfections that make it less than perfect. And hence forms can exist without an exact carbon copy in the real world. So there u have it the theory of forms.. the reason all this is mind boggling is this… consider using this theory in the attempt to discuss the existence of god and evil in the world. Skeptics will often say show me that there is a god. Prove it. And when u naturally point to nature, the inner workings of the human body and the cosmos ability to function perfectly in unison you’re often met with the good old.. If god there is a god and he is perfect why are there imperfections in the world? Why does evil exist? And the answer to that is through the use of Plato’s theory! U know what a perfect circle is…but draw one for me and inevitably it'll be slightly imperfect. Does that mean there is no such thing as a circle? Course not it just means the real world manifestation isn't as perfect as the idea. Under the same logic expecting something perfect for our senses to precieve as an indication of the existence of god is wrong. and with that you see what i mean when i say the theory opens up a whole can of worms by the mere suggestion. Think about it.. munch on it and you’ll probably come to my sentiments exactly. I should point out however, that even though the idea is a simple yet extremely meaningful one the logic behind the argument is a little flawed… the premises are magnificent on their own but do not necessarily lead us to the conclusion that many are too often quick to make.