But the reincarnated soul retains a dim recollection of the realm of forms and yearns for it. . . . In the Meno , Plato has Socrates teach an ignorant slave boy a truth of geometry by simply asking a series of questions. Because the boy learns this truth without being given any information, Plato concluded that learning consists of recalling what the soul experienced in the realm of the forms. Plato thought that only the soul could perceive the ideal forms. When the body and the soul combine, the body obstructs the soul's ability to recall the ideal forms.
Reason unveils the ideal forms behind appearances.
The idea of the separation of the body and soul, and an immortal soul also began with Plato. During the 13th century, Aristotle's ideas replaced Plato's ideas as the most influential philosophy in Christian thought.