Ancient philosophical influences

Question 1

Who is Socrates and what did he encourage?

Answer 1

The founder of philosophy. He encourages critical questioning of commonly held assumptions.

Question 2

What was a key feature of Socrates teaching?

Answer 2

Used questions to try and find the answer to a problem.

Question 3

What was an example of Socrates teaching?

Answer 3

He would use the word ‘justice’ and try find out what we mean by it.

Question 4

Who was Socrates student?

Answer 4

Plato

Question 5

Why was Socrates executed?

Answer 5

Corrupting in the young and going against the Greek Gods.

Question 6

What theory is Plato best known for?

Answer 6

The theory of the forms

Question 7

What is the theory of the forms?

Answer 7

There are two separate worlds. The world we currently see is lying to us, the world of the forms is the truth.

Question 8

What analogy does Plato use to represent the theory of the forms?

Answer 8

The cave analogy

Question 9

What does the Cave analogy represent?

Answer 9

The ignorance of humans (specifically those who killed Socrates), as they don’t listen to Philosophy.

Question 10

What is Plato’s demiurge?

Answer 10

The God that Plato believed created the world.

Question 11

What are the qualities of Plato’s demiurge?

Answer 11

He’s good and desires the best for humanity. He tries to make the world as good as he can but he’s limited by his materials.

Question 12

What does Plato use to obtain knowledge?

Answer 12

Reason

Question 13

What is the Form of the good?

Answer 13

The highest form of good that we will meet upon death.

Question 14

What is Plato’s book?

Answer 14

The republic

Question 15

Which atheist criticizes Plato and what does he say?

Answer 15

Richard Dawkins claims it is nonsense to talk of a transcendent and other world above our own.

Question 16

Why does Aristotle criticize Plato’s theory of the forms?

Answer 16

We can happily accept there’s ideal concepts for things like pi, justice etc. Yet surely we cannot accept that there’s an ideal form for things like jealousy and spite.

Question 17

What are things that are commonly disliked about Plato’s theory of the forms?

Answer 17

• It has no scientific evidence.
• The dualism has been taken to extremes.
• It’s elitist, due to the use of reason.
• Plato has an overly optimistic view of human nature.

Question 18

Who was Plato’s student?

Answer 18

Aristotle

Question 19

What was Aristotle’s key philosophy?

Answer 19

The physical world around us is the key to knowledge.

Question 20

What did Aristotle think of the world of the forms?

Answer 20

He rejected the idea and believed that nothing could be gained from dualism. Ideas can have no existence on their own.

Question 21

What was the main term Aristotle used in his work and what did it mean?

Answer 21

‘aetion’, which means ‘cause’

Question 22

What were Aristotle’s four causes?

Answer 22

• The material cause
• The formal cause
• The efficient cause
• The final cause (telos)

Question 23

What is the material cause?

Answer 23

What something is made of.

Question 24

What is the formal cause?

Answer 24

It’s characteristics (like shape).

Question 25

What is the efficient cause?

Answer 25

The activity that makes something happen, like sex.

Question 26

What is the final cause?

Answer 26

The telos, the purpose or end of something.

Question 27

What was Aristotle’s prime mover?

Answer 27

Because he believed everything had a cause, he thought the world had a cause and therefore believed in a God.

Question 28

What were the characteristics of Aristotle’s prime mover?

Answer 28

It does nothing but is the object of everything. Everything is drawn to God’s perfection.
- Eternal
- Immaterial
- Perfectly good

Question 29

What does Aristotle believe is the main way to gain knowledge?

Answer 29

Empiricism