ilarly, while a true opinion of the Form of Virtue might lead us to act virtuously in many situations, knowledge of Virtue would lead us to act with Virtue in every situation.All true knowledge is knowledge of the Forms. Therefore, we can only acquire true knowledge by recollection. Furthermore, since true knowledge of particulars cannot exist, only recollection of the Forms is possible.During our lifetime, we can use our senses in connection with particulars to make explicit our implicit knowledge of the Forms. It follows that we must have first acquired this knowledge prior to acquiring the use of our senses, and therefore, prior to or at birth. We also know that this knowledge was lost or made implicit at birth. Consequently, we must infer that this knowledge was given to us before birth (unless it was given to us and lost at the same moment, which is absurd). If we had knowledge of the Forms in a former state, then our souls must have existed before our birth, and had this knowledge. We conclude that recollection requires the existence of the soul before birth without requiring its existence after death. Therefore, the doctrine of recollection does not prove the immortality of the soul....
