010: The Examined Life #1 - Plato and Perfectionism

The Examined Life

I’ve always had good intentions to read more philosophy. Many reckon that the best place to start, is with the Classic Greek thinkers – Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. They formed the bedrock upon which a lot of Western philospophy has been built. As I was sipping on a Flat White at my local Plato Coffee and looking at the artist impression of the philosopher after whom the franchise is named, I was reminded of this idealistic goal and endeavoured to delve into his work.

Let’s investigate why. I’ve always looked for meaning in life. When I go hiking, I can never simply sit on a mountain top and enjoy a view. I feel compelled to ask why a mountain was formed in a specific way. My mind itches to scratch at the mysteries of the fauna and flora around me. I ponder why the trickle of a waterfall instils so much hope. Ultimately, I believe in what the big daddy of Greek philosophy, Socrates, said when uttered the words:

In this examining, I’ve found that philosophy comes alive when used as a practical tool to improve one’s life. Yes, it is wonderful to philosophise over a glass of wine in the small hours of the morning, but to go into the world and apply the ideas, have given me frameworks within which I can live a life of hopeful striving.

In this series of blogs – which I call The Examined Life – I will present a problem, delve into a philosophical concept that frames the problem and, by way of example, provide a set of philosophical tools to take on the challenges that the problem presents.

The problem, the framework and the example.

In my first Examined Life post, I will consider perfectionism. I can write a whole treatise about my own traumatic experience of striving for perfection, but I'll leave that for a future therapist to untangle. For the purpose of this post, it suffices to take “perfection is the enemy of good enough” as a reasonable starting point and that perfectionism hinders progress.

The philosophical concept that we will use to frame the problem comes from Plato and his Theory of Forms.

The example that we will use to tackle the challenge of perfectionism is a cup of coffee.

Let’s examine.

Plato – more than a coffee shop.

Plato Coffee is a coffee shop franchise (and more recently stylised as a “lifestyle brand”) that has slowly taken over South Africa. They make good coffee and serve their products in pleasant locations. Many shops are pop-up concrete structures that combine a fashionable and minimalist white pastel green and pink colour palette to create a memorable coffee drinking experience. As of August 2025 there are more than 100 locations across the country with the franchise not seeming to show any signs of slowing down. They’ve even started an Academy where potential franchisees can learn the Plato way. There is more to Plato than lending his name to a successful coffee franchise, though.

Plato was a student of Socrates and the founder of the first institute of higher education – the Academy (see what you did there Plato Coffee). He also wrote The Republic – a treatise on a perfect (or ideal – more on that in a moment) state that is ruled by “philosopher kings”. If you want a quick recap on Plato’s biography, check out this video.

His influence on Western philosophy is far-reaching. A.N. Whitehead – a mathematician and philosopher who invented his own branch of philosophy – once said that

What is his main philosophical idea?

One of Plato’s main philosophical ideas was that of the Theory of Forms. Simply put, in my own words, it means that:

He borrowed the idea that only perfect things are eternal from another Greek philosopher, Parmenides, who is considered to be the father of metaphysics (the study of what reality is, at its core). This idea of an ideal form is seen throughout mathematics. I am reminded of the harrowing four page long proofs I had to study for my Multivariate Statistical Analysis courses and how the proof started with a set of assumptions that set out the ideal. Unfortunately, the perfection of the assumptions did not find an eternal home in my mind and I decided to apply my sense experience to other more short-lived pastimes.

The idea of the ideal is also well explored in love. There is a famous video of modern philosopher and storyteller, Alain de Botton, under the dramatic title “Why you will marry the wrong person” that has been viewed almost 10 million times as of August 2025. In it he describes the idea that through hope we try to find our right partner. When this partner is right for us, we won’t have to explain our own shortcomings, improve our flaws and struggle through the darkest things of our soul. If they expect us to do these things, then surely they aren’t the one. Our hope is shattered when the honeymoon period ends and we realise that this human you married is asking a lot more difficult questions than you ever imagined. This is essentially a Platonic ideal: the person you think you fall in love with is not the one who manifests in the real world. (Further bad news, you will also never meet the heightened Platonic version of yourself that your significant other has created of you)

Why is this a useful construct?

So, the ideal form has its place. In fields like mathematics where logical rigour is foundational, perfect forms help to set an ideal standard. It helps one to clarify thinking by distinguishing between the real and the form (“are you my real boyfriend who leaves his socks on the floor or are you my Platonic hubby-bubby?”). It also provides a framework for understanding imperfections – in yourself and others. This helps to set an aspirational path if you want to improve. In moderation, it can sharpen thinking and inspire progress.

Why is it harmful?

The obvious counter to the Platonic ideal is that it can create unrealistic expectations of perfectionism. If you don’t love your sock-dropping boyfriend instead of the Platonic one, you can become detached from reality. Ideals are also rigid in their formulations, and a strict emphasis on applying them in thinking can lead to dogmatic intolerance of other views. Compromising to real-world realities can quickly be seen as failure. In extreme cases, real people and experiences can be devalued, judged as lesser and even rejected because they don’t match the ideal.

Ultimately, the gap between the ideal and the real can create a trap if you lean more towards the harmful end of the spectrum. This trap is called an Ideal Trap and we will now explore it by way of example.

But first, COFFEE!

I will next proceed by describing 5 different Ideal Traps but before I lose you with too much philosophy I will bring it back to my opening stanza and a topic that I’m sure many of you adore – COFFEE.

I encourage you to take a moment and make yourself a cup of coffee. You don’t have to go to your nearest Plato Coffee, but a good cup (whatever that means to you), will help.

When you’ve got your coffee in hand, before drinking it, think about the experience of your perfect cup of coffee. I can recall two specific coffee experiences that represent my ideal cup of coffee.

The first one comes from a cup that I randomly brewed in a little French press (plunger) in May 2015 before I knew anything about brew ratios and steep times. I had stumbled into perfection and wrote the following Facebook post to commemorate the experience.

The second experience was my moment of TRUTH. On a work trip to Cape Town, I made a pilgrimage to TRUTH, a steampunk-themed coffee nirvana nestled in the City Bowl that had recently been voted as the best coffee shop in the world. There I drank a black Americano at TRUTH in the City Bowl in August 2016 that shook me to my core. I summarily followed it with a Flat White and revelled in the aromas of an earthy Ethiopian blend sleeping under the perfect pillow of steamed milk. My word, what a day that was.

To this day, these two experiences stand as the only true 10/10 coffees I’ve ever had. There have been immensely enjoyable cups, make no mistake, but they are all imitations of my two ideal experiences. I shudder to wonder, if the Platonic ideal does not exist in the real world, what THE Platonic ideal cup of coffee will taste like if my two worldly experiences were so profound. Alas, I’ll never know.

Back to your own cup.

Think of how it will engage all of your senses. Imagine the bitter taste, the strong aroma that fills the room, the comforting touch of the cup, the sound of the espresso machine softly hissing as it froths the milk and the sight of textured latte art.

Next, engage with reality by taking a sip. Process all five senses and detect some defect. Perhaps the milk is too warm, or the coffee too bitter. Unless you’re having your own moment of TRUTH, the reality will be an imitation of the ideal cup that you imagined a moment ago.

I invite you to read through the list of Ideal Traps. Consider what they mean in general and in terms of your cup of coffee. Then ask yourself which Trap you are falling into with your coffee experience and read on my thoughts on how to free yourself from the Trap and turn Plato’s philosophy of the Theory of Forms into a practical tool.

Five Ideal Traps

1. The Perfection Trap

What you might say when stuck here:

In general: When you fall into this trap, you might find yourself stuck in analysis paralysis to plot the path towards perfection.

In coffee terms: You will drive to the ends of the earth in pursuit of the cup of coffee, but still be left unsatisfied. In the unlikely event that the cup turns out to be perfect, you will probably complain about the duration of the drive to get there, right?

2. The Contempt Trap

   What you might say when stuck here:

In general: In this trap, reality is dismissed as too flawed to be worth improving. This can lead to detachment, cynicism or avoidance. It can erode relationships, trust and momentum.

In coffee terms: Unless you get the perfect cup, your lips won’t touch it. Even though you really, really want to drink some coffee.

3. The Delay Trap

What you might say when stuck here:

In general: In the perpetual postponement caused by the pursuit of the ideal, opportunities are missed. You might call it “strategic patience” but it might just be a fear of imperfection.

In coffee terms: You ignore the elements of the cup that are still really good. Maybe the barista poured beautiful swan latte art, even though his espresso was pulled for too long? Maybe the cup it came in cups your palm really nicely? Surely, the cup has some redeemable quality. By the time you realise it, your coffee is unpleasantly cold.

4. The Judgement Trap

What you might say when stuck here:

In general: You turn the ideal into a moral lens, and not just a strategic one. You become frustrated with everything and everyone around you whom you deem to be morally inferior. It creates an “us vs. them’” dynamic.

In coffee terms: Your snobbery means that no-one wants to drink coffee with you anymore.

e.      The Identity Trap

What you might say when stuck here:

In general terms: You tie the ideal to your ego and failure or compromise is personal and devastating. You can feel like a fraud and fear being exposed. And your rigidity can lead to burnout.

In coffee terms: Perhaps you need to consider that it is simply a cup of coffee and not the sum total of your life’s work.

Extracting yourself from the Ideal Trap

Personally, I find the Judgement Trap to be particularly alluring. In general terms, I often find myself condemning others for not trying their best. In coffee terms, it means that I’d rather bring my own ground coffee and AeroPress to a party rather than drink instant coffee.

The reality, however, is that I am often left embarrassed when I learn more about people’s situations and gather more data about a problem. This shows that my supposed “moral lens” is murky and needs some cleaning. I also have to do some emotional reparation due to the effects of my snobbery. It is a constant battle.

In coffee terms, it is sometimes even more difficult, because I really don’t like instant coffee, but I always try to bring enough coffee so that others can enjoy a cup with me. I always say, “the best cup of coffee is the one that you can share”.  

It is quite clear that living inside an Ideal Trap can lead to a hopeless life if left unchecked. It is therefore imperative to have a mechanism to extricate oneself. Let us consider some tools to escape your own Ideal Trap.

1. Use ideals as compasses, not yardsticks

In general: Let the ideal guide a direction, not a destination.

In coffee terms: Ask if this cup moved you closer to your perfect cup rather than if it were the perfect cup.

2. Embrace iteration

In general: Stoic philosophy, which followed shortly after Plato, preaches the idea that “The Obstacle is the Way”. The important thing to learn here is that engaging with the messiness of reality is the path, not the detour, of life.

In coffee terms: There are possibly infinite cups of coffee to enjoy for their own sake. Go and try them. That said, remember, that two to three cups a day represents a healthy daily sample size.

3. Revisit and evolve ideals

In general: As we learn more about life, we exercise our agency and we let go of ideas – and ideals – that do not serve us anymore. If we hold on too tightly, we end up serving the ideal.

In coffee terms: If you find the black Americano that your friends keep suggesting too bitter, try something with milk. Heck, live a little and indulge in a syrupy concoction once in a while. Exercise your agency and decide for yourself what you actually like instead of always following the guidance of others. Be particularly wary of your past self’s firmly held ideals.

4. Practice compassion

In general: Life is (really, really, really) hard. People are trying to keep it together with what they have. Your idea of "keeping it together" looks a lot differently than someone else's.

In coffee terms: Drink the instant coffee if it means you get to spend time with someone special.

Whereto now?

I started my blog like a house on fire, posting 8 posts in 5 weeks. Along with that euphoria and the wondrous "post-goal smash glow" of Comrades 2025, I felt like I had done the hard work to get going. It would now be easy to keep going. Winter and SAD then hit me hard and I fell into a slump again. Luckily, I got to writing again thanks to a colleague who planted the seed that we write an academic paper on ethical and responsible AI. I summarily added extra pressure by committing to submit the paper to a conference. This took up the most of my cold July and early August evenings. We're now holding thumbs for an acceptance letter.

As I was sitting at my local Plato - soaking in the feeble winter sun - and contemplating my idealistic dream of reading more philosophy, I was reminded of my flirtations with the Delay Trap that led me to postpone the starting of this blog for almost a decade. That emboldened me to remember my own advice from my very first blog post: get the first 100 posts out of the way. This post gets me into double figures and as the seasons turn, I can feel the creative motivation return with a menace.

The blogs will come thick and fast again and I will constantly remind myself of Plato's wisdom. The ideal only exists in my mind. It is a compass and not a yardstick. It is important to stay tethered to reality and engage with it rather than fictitious and impossible perfection. And on the road to 100 blog posts, I will continuously use my cup of coffee as an anchor towards reality: it doesn't need to be the moment of TRUTH. It just needs to steer in the right direction.

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Next up in the Examined Life series I will turn to a modern philosophical conundrum: social media and our seeming inability to say no to the algorithm. There'll also be a few race reviews and lighthearted pieces coming along.

For now, though, drop a comment below or send a message and let me know about your own struggles with perfectionism. Which ideal traps do you find most alluring? How do you cure yourself from striving too far in search of the ideal and in the process neglecting reality?

The root of the word "philosophy" comes from the Ancient Greek words philos (loving) and sophia (wisdom), meaning "love of wisdom". I'd love to hear your wisdom.