What does Plato argue about the knowledge of the perfect forms?

Plato argues that knowledge of the perfect forms is something that the soul possesses inherently but forgets upon entering the physical world. According to his theory of recollection, learning is not a process of acquiring new knowledge but rather a process of recollecting truths that the soul already knew before birth, when it existed in the realm of forms. This means that the perfect forms—such as Beauty, Justice, and Goodness—are eternal and unchanging, while our understanding of them is often clouded by sensory experiences and the imperfections of the material world.

This idea emphasizes that true knowledge is not derived from the physical realm, which is transient and deceiving, but from an intellectual understanding of these perfect forms, which can be accessed through a reflective process, often stimulated by philosophical inquiry. Thus, knowledge is something that we uncover from within rather than gain through external means.