Ancient philosophical influences Flashcards
What do the shadows of on the cave wall represent in the analogy?
The way that material things can blind people to what is really important
What does the resistance of the prisoners in the cave to come out represent
the hostility that people often feel when faced with philosophical ideas that challenge their previously-held beliefs
Why might scientists object to Plato’s belief that the physical world is not ‘real’
because scientists might argue that the physical world is worth studying in its own right. Richard Dawkins argues that it is nonsense to talk of a transcendent ‘other world’. There is also no empirical evidence to support their existence.
What was Aristotle’s criticism of the forms ?
they seem ridiculous when pushed to logical extremes. For example, would the form of a dog be a labrador or a greyhound, or some other breed. If we have a form of every single type of dog then this stops the forms being universal.
