Amazing coincidence (or Miyamoto studied Plato)

[Uximadesk]

Lets start with Zelda basics. Allmost every important aspect of the games after OoT can be broken into three characteristics: Wisdom, Power and Courage. There is a Godess that represents each of this virtues, the Triforce can be broken down to these three components, every race in the games has at least a certain affinity to one of this, even our clan system was made considering that, with Wisdom being the Wizzrobes and with the Power and Courage being the other lesser clans.
Wisdom, Power and Courage. They seem to be the pillars of the Hylian society, right?
Well Plato, student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, divided the society he envisioned this way. In his opus maximum, The Republic, he described society as being composed of three main aspects to which every citizen was related to.

Wisdom: The leaders, the phylosophers, the artists. Those who focus on thinking and drawing the path that a society must follow.
Power: The citizens, the working class, the merchants. Those who provide sustenance for the society by performing economic activities.
Courage: Soldiers, conquerors. Those who protect and expand society, they are the ones to come in aid of their country.

So there you have it, either a quite curious coincidence or Miyamoto was very aware of what he was doing. Or maybe they are very common ways of dividing stuff, who knows...

[MagmarFire]

It certainly fits Zelda philosophy, if you think about it. Zelda is a ruler, of course; Link fights for society; and Ganondorf (this one's a bit shaky) did try to help his people by taking over Hyrule...at least according to what he said in TWW.

It does fit.

[Uximadesk]

Ganondorf was a conqueror, after all. I came to realize this connection while doing my philosophy homework. When I started reading Plato's ideas, I was actually dozing off but my brain "clicked" when I came over those three familiar words, then I was all "OMG OMG OMG OMG"

[HylianHero92]

It certainly fits Zelda philosophy, if you think about it.

Go to Borders right now and get "The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy".
I do believe there's a whole chapter on Plato and Wisdom, Power and Courage.

[The Glamour Nazi]

Go to Borders right now and get "The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy".
I do believe there's a whole chapter on Plato and Wisdom, Power and Courage.

Go get it, It's a great book, No lie I've read it like twenty times.

[HylianHero92]

Go to Borders right now and get "The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy".
I do believe there's a whole chapter on Plato and Wisdom, Power and Courage.

Go get it, It's a great book, No lie I've read it like twenty times.

It is a wonderful book! I probably would've read to it at least thirty times by now, but a friend borrowed it and still hasn't given it back...  :(

[MagmarFire]

Hmm. I should probably check it out sometime, then.