Ancient greeks Flashcards
Plato
World of the Forms ideas/concepts Knowledge of this through reason/ logic. Eternal. Immutable. Truth
Our world
World of Appearance World of the senses Everything changes Empirical world. Shadow world. World of Particulars. Phenomenal world.
How do we know the forms?
Not through the senses (a posteriori)
Only through the mind – through the use of intellect and reason
Our knowledge of the forms is innate – we are born with it (a priori)
We are able to recollect this knowledge (Anamnesis)
What do forms have in common?
The highest Form – the ultimate Form.
The Forms are perfect – their perfection (goodness) is something they share – and comes from the Form of the Good.
Through understanding this we can understand the value of things.
Any good action in this world is a pale reflection of the perfect Good.
When we understand something as “good” we are recollecting “goodness” in the world of Forms.
This is a priori knowledge – knowledge held before sense experience is gained (as opposed to a posteriori)
All the Forms participate in the Form of the Good.
It is the ultimate aim of everything. The aim of everything is goodness.
Metaphor of the sun
The Good is to the mind as the sun is to the eye.
Just as the sun’s light enables the eye to see in the perceptible realm, so the Good illuminates the mind and enables it to “see” in the intelligible realm.
In the Analogy of the Cave the Form of Good is represented by the sun.
Strenghs plato
Rationalism (senses do deceive)
Plato has had a great influence on Philosophy “all Western philosophy is footnotes to Plato” (A.N. Whitehead)
the division of body and soul (dualism) or the spiritual / material
used in Christian theology e.g. existence of heaven, the body / soul distinction
An objective reality? We do seem to understand what falls short of goodness or have an innate understanding of justice or beauty
Criticism plato
There is no empirical evidence of the existence of another world outside of our senses (to be expected as Plato does not trust our senses!)
If there is one absolute Form of the Good, why do we disagree over right and wrong? What IS good??
Plato doesn’t explain how a particular participates in the Form: How does a large pencil participate in the form of largeness or of the form of a pencil?
Empiricists will argue that we have to rely on our senses to survive and to understand the world
If this world and the world of the Forms are so far removed then how can we possibly learn anything about the Forms?
Is knowledge innate as Plato suggests? Doesn’t learning seem much more difficult than simply remembering?
Aristotle four causes
Material Cause
Formal Cause
Efficient Cause
Final Cause
Prime mover
Final cause - telos
Pure actuality - impersonal
Eternal - necessary
Strenghs Aristotle
based on sense experience (empiricism) which can be tested
Material cause – physical matter can be observed
Efficient cause explains how matter changes (actuality – potentiality)
Formal cause – helps identify and classify
Final cause / telos gives everything a sense of purpose
Goodness is intrinsic – if an object fulfils its purpose
Prime Mover explains continual motion
Critisms aristotle
Aristotle assumes that nature is teleological i.e. has a purpose BUT
Everything may not have a purpose e.g. wasps
Even if parts have a purpose, the whole may not (fallacy of composition E.g. human body)
Having a purpose is a mental process E.g. wall
Existentialism – things just are. Only people have purposes which they choose for themselves
Cannot find Four Causes for everything E.g. Beauty
Aristotle moves away from empiricism to suggest a Prime Mover – it cannot be tested
Arguments from rationalism:
Senses can deceive
More to life than sense experience
Russel
I should say the universe is just there, and that’s all
