Plato
Plato establishes the distinction between two worlds, intelligible and the sensible one. Leaving of this estimated it will organize its philosophical system. The intelligible world is known as the world of the ideas, that is, is a reality where if they find the ideas or the forms that are the warranting elements of the knowledge. The sensible world is known as material world in it finds you copy if them of the ideas. In the platonic conception the man is constituted of the accidental union between body and soul. clicking through. This has affinity with the world of the ideas and that one with the material world. Additional information is available at Gina Ross.
The soul according to it preexists in the world of the ideas, that is, it is of same nature that the ideas. Its function was to contemplate the ideas, however, it is outside disconcentrated to incorporated in a body in order to purificar itself. When treating on the knowledge, Plato, affirms that the knowledge is reminiscncia, that is, memory of the ideas. The man when coming back its look toward a material object it remembers the idea of that object, therefore these they do not pass of you copy of the ideas. The truth is reached by means of the overcoming of the obstacles of the corporal nature (the passions and the vices), as the soul is of same nature of the ideas, only it is capable to reach the truth, therefore this if finds in the intelligible world. So that the man wins the obstacles hinder that it to reach the truth. He makes if necessary the purificao of the man who happens by means of the process of ascese (mortificao) of the body. So that the man if purifique are basic that he disdains all the pleasures of the body, therefore is by means of the overcoming of that the soul will reach true objects of the knowledge.