Ancient Philosophical Influences Flashcards
Particulars
imperfect versions of perfect objects in the realm of forms
Forms
Perfect versions of the imperfect particulars found in the empirical world. Plato believes that these forms are spiritual, permanent and non-material
What is the cave analogy?
- Prisoners are chained to a wall where they can only see shadows (particulars)
- One day one of the prisoners if set free and begins the accent to the outside world
- The prisoner saw the forms of the shadows that they had watched their whole life
- The prisoner was forced to come back to the cave and when he told the other prisoners what he saw they didn’t believe him
What does Plato think about philosophers?
Called philosophers philosopher kings because of their thirst for knowledge
He said that Philosopher kings are firmly in control of their chariot
Aristotle’s four causes
- Material- what something is made from
- Formal- the form or shape of something
- Efficient- the reason why something is made or happens
- Final- the purpose or reason for existence (telos)
What is the hierarchy of Plato’s forms and particulars?
Highest form- the form of the good
Higher forms- concepts (ideals)
Lower forms- phenomena
Particulars- physical objects
What do the prisoners, freed prisoner, shadows, objects, sun, cave and the outside world in the Cave Analogy represent?
Prisoners- non-philosophers
Freed prisoner- philosophers
Shadows- particulars
Objects- forms
Sun- form of the good
Cave- empirical world
Outside world- realm of forms
How do we gain knowledge of forms according to Plato?
Our souls are eternal and belong in the realm of forms. Our souls already have knowledge, we just relearn the knowledge during our physical life. After death our souls return to the realm of forms and continue to gain knowledge of forms
What is Aristotle’s Prime Mover?
Everything is a series of cause and effect. The prime mover is the first cause of everything
What knowledge does Plato use?
A-priori
What knowledge does Aristotle use?
A-posteriori
