Plato would cruise in a '57 Chevy

In Plato's theory of forms, the objects of the physical world about us, are not 'truly real'. There are perfect forms, that are ideal and unchanging, in the metaphysical world. That which we see, we recognise of being like the ideal as a shadow is like the object cast it. So, a picture of something would be like an imitation of a model of the ideal. So, everything that is in our solid world as an archetype in the perfect world. Of course, some examples are closer to perfect than others.

People refer to Plato's chair, and 'chairness'. There are things more interesting than chairs. At one time, America loved cars. The forms, the colors, the contrasts were beautiful. I have mentioned one of Plato's Buicks. But, Plato's car is a matador red 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air sport coupe with a India ivory hard top.

Times are hard. On Broadway, near Harvard, in Cleveland Ohio, there is a used car lot with a faded car sign. It has been there, what? thirty years? more?  Here is an imitation, of an imitation, of a shadow that may be Plato's car.