Ancient greeks Flashcards
define rationalism
having knowledge pre experience (PRIORI)
gaining knowledge purely from logic
does not rely on sense experience
define empiricism
Gaining knowledge from sense experience (POSTERIORI)
relies on senses
uses scientific evidence
PROS of rationalism
does not rely on senses- senses can easily be fooled
= more reliable
relies on logic= makes more sense
CONS of rationalism
can seem unrealistic to say we already have all knowledge in us- we know that we learn from our experiences
lacks scientific proof
PROS of empiricism
uses science= more believable to us
makes sense we gain knowledge from our experiences
CONS of empiricism
senses can be easily deceived- E.g a pencil is straight but in water it appears bent
Plato’s allegory of the cave
3 prisoners stuck in a cave
fire behind them, people walk past making shadows on wall in front of them- that’s all they know in life
1 prisoner escapes and is blinded by the sun, sees the real world
what do theses represent in the cave allegory:
- sun
- prisoners
- cave
- outside world
- shadows
sun is the form of the good- it illuminates all the other forms
prisoners are us
cave is the world we are in
outside world is the world of the forms
shadows are our senses being deceived
what are Plato’s forms?
unchanging, perfect concepts- good, justice, truth, beauty etc..
exist in another world
what are the particulars?
they are imperfect copies of the forms which exist in our world
sunset example of form and particular of beauty
when we look at a beautiful sunset, we look at something which will soon fade- particular form of beauty
but in reality the form of beauty lasts forever, never changes
what form is the highest?
good- it illuminates all the other forms
knowing the form of the good makes someone perfectly moral
Realm of the forms
Plato believed there is another world out there which is perfect and eternal - world of the forms
PROS of Plato’s forms
-gives hope of a better life
-gives hope of moral goodness
-doesn’t rely on senses- good as they can be fooled
Criticisms of Plato’s forms
-good is subjective
-no scientific proof of another world out there
-having knowledge of the forms does not help us in this world
-history has never showed us a morally good person
- if all the forms are perfect, why is good more perfect than the rest?
Example for good as subjective
in medicine, saving people is good
but in army, killing people is good
different versions of good
evaluations of criticisms of Plato
- Just because history has never shown us a morally good person, doesn’t mean there are no morally good people
- knowledge of the form of the good can encourage people to do what is right
NIETZSCHE on plato’s forms
said form of the good is a dangerous error
Philosophers invent ideas to gain power
HOWEVER we cannot assume Plato had bad intentions
AJ AYER on Plato’s form of good
we have no real knowledge of good or bad, when we talk of good or bad we just express our own emotional reactions,
we cannot all share the same concept of ‘good’
DAWKINS on Plato’s forms
thinks it’s nonsense to talk of another world
just because this world is changing, doesn’t mean there is an unchanging world out there
Aristotle’s 4 causes
material- what something is made from
formal- the shape something takes
efficient- the action that gives it it’s shape
final- the objects end goal
Table example for 4 causes
material- the wood that makes the table
formal- table shape
efficient- the carpenter that makes the table
final- end goal is for people to work on
criticisms of 4 causes
highly rely on experience- senses can be deceived
don’t explain the complexity of natural phenomena
SARTRE on Aristotle’s final cause
we don’t actually have a final goal/ telos, humans invent goals for themselves as they are afraid of not having a purpose.
