Four Levels of Reality

Four Levels of Reality

Eukleides to Arkhimedes
at Museum in Library of Alexandria:
"Platon described four levels of reality
that reveal aspects of objects we sense.
Second level is real existing things,
closed objects that stand out in space and time,
defined by limits of beginning and end
that contain matter made from elements,
solid things we can sense with hands and eyes.
First level is shadow of those real things
in echoes that reflect their corporal shapes,
such as paintings of things which are but blobs
of color smeared on plane, yet gazing eyes
see image of that real thing in its shape,
and words we speak which are but puffing sounds
yet cause hearing minds to visualize things.
Third level is eternal idea of things,
changeless pattern that defines structure shape
which persists as real in realm of our minds
where we imagine things that could exist,
for even if every tree that exists
is destroyed, and all trees cease to be real
from solid matter, yet idea of tree
would still persist as concept in our minds,
changeless forms that can never be destroyed.
Fourth level is geometry of things,
basic shapes and qualities organized
by Demiurgos, craftsman creator mind,
circles, triangles, planes, cylinders, cubes,
polygons, cones, and spheres, that constitute
designs for eternal idea of things,
like length, width, height, volume, mass, and weight,
attributes that define substance of forms.
First is where things stand with, consistence,
which Hesiodos taught as visions and dreams,
second is where things stand out, existence,
which Aristoteles taught as categories,
third is where things stand forward, persistence,
which Platon taught as eternal ideas,
and fourth is where things stand under, substance,
which I will teach you as geometry."

from Spheres of Arkhimedes
Hermead Vol 5
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