Ancient Philosophical Influences

Question 1

what did plato notice about the physical world?

Answer 1

always changing

Question 2

because plato thought the physical world was always changing, what did this mean he thought couldn’t be achieved?

Answer 2

true and accurate knowledge

Question 3

what is behind every concept and what is this called?

Answer 3

FORM = unseen reality

Question 4

what are forms a source of?

Answer 4

knowledge

Question 5

T/F forms actually exist, according to Plato

Answer 5

TRUE

Question 6

what does every human have according to Plato and what did it have access to?

Answer 6

immortal soul that had access to ROTF before it was implanted in body

Question 7

was plato a rationalist?

Answer 7

yes

Question 8

was plato a dualist?

Answer 8

yes

Question 9

what is rationalism?

Answer 9

the theory that reason rather than experience is the foundation of certainty in knowledge

Question 10

what is dualism?

Answer 10

there are two kinds of reality: material (physical) and immaterial (spiritual)

Question 11

how do we have inbuilt knowledge according to P?

Answer 11

access to ROTF through immortal soul

Question 12

how can we develop our inbuilt knowledge?

Answer 12

through rational thought

Question 13

why did plato think that we had inbuilt knowledge/immortal soul/ROTF?

Answer 13

he was a dualist + rationalist

Question 14

how are all the forms connected?

Answer 14

hierarchy

Question 15

what is the most important aspect of the hierarchy of the forms?

Answer 15

form of the good

Question 16

what is FOTG central to?

Answer 16

existence of whole universe

Question 17

give two eg of what would we have no knowledge on w/o the FOTG

Answer 17

• beauty

- justice

Question 18

what name did Plato give to ‘God’?

Answer 18

Demiurge

Question 19

how did the Demiurge make the world?

Answer 19

fashioned it out of material that was already there

Question 20

what does the Demiurge desire for humanity?

Answer 20

the best

Question 21

what can the Demiurge be measured against?

Answer 21

it’s a being that can be measured against eternal standards of the Forms

Question 22

who made the analogy of the cave?

Answer 22

plato

Question 23

who was the dialogue between in the AOTC?

Answer 23

Socrates and Glaucon

Question 24

what type of people were chained in the AOTC?

Answer 24

prisoners

Question 25

what was the only source of light in the AOTC?

Answer 25

fire

Question 26

where was the fire in the AOTC?

Answer 26

behind them

Question 27

what reflected off the cave wall in the AOTC?

Answer 27

light from fire

Question 28

what were people doing along the low wall?

Answer 28

people were going along carrying a variety of different objects

Question 29

how many prisoners got freed?

Answer 29

one

Question 30

what does the chain represent in AOTC?

Answer 30

limitation to knowledge, free will and truth - what philosophers access

Question 31

what represents anyone who doesn't understand truth/influences in the AOTC?

Answer 31

puppet master

Question 32

what does the cave represent in the AOTC?

Answer 32

R.O.Appearances

Question 33

what represents the FOTG?

Answer 33

sun

Question 34

who do the prisoners represent?

Answer 34

basic humans

Question 35

what represents the objects held up?

Answer 35

imperfect forms

Question 36

what do the shadow represent?

Answer 36

what humans perceive in ROA

Question 37

who is used to represent the philosopher?

Answer 37

escaped prisoner

Question 38

what represents the world outside cave?

Answer 38

ROTF

Question 39

what does the fire represent?

Answer 39

Sun in ROA

Question 40

S - what does Plato's theory of the forms help explain?

Answer 40

why we can all recognise same essential elements in something

Question 41

S - what does plato's theory of the forms help us to understand?

Answer 41

why there are imperfections in the world

Question 42

S - what does plato's theory of the forms encourage us to do?

Answer 42

question things in order to learn, rather than just accepting at face value

Question 43

W - what is Richard Dawkin's criticism of Plato's TOTF?

Answer 43

nonsense to talk of transcendent 'other realm' beyond physical - people have been been relying on senses for survival for yrs

Question 44

W - Aristotle's criticism of P's TOTF?

Answer 44

accepts that there are some ideal concepts eg infinity but its harder to accept there might be ideal forms of negative things

Question 45

W - explain the argument about subjectivity regarding TOTF?

Answer 45

opinions of these concepts are subjective - won't always come to same conclusion

Question 46

W - what does infinite regress mean?

Answer 46

going backwards again and again - this would happen to the forms

Question 47

W - what type of evidence does the TOTF lack, why is this an issue?

Answer 47

empirical - can't prove existence of ROTF

Question 48

W - what direct connection is unclear in TOTF?

Answer 48

ROTF to ROTA

Question 49

W - what approach has Plato been accused of adopting?

Answer 49

elitist - only to those who are intellectually gifted

Question 50

who was plato's student?

Answer 50

aristotle

Question 51

T/F Aristotle was a materialist

Answer 51

True

Question 52

how did A believe the world was accessible?

Answer 52

through senses

Question 53

did A believe there was more than one world?

Answer 53

no

Question 54

what did A believe there was nothing to gain from?

Answer 54

dualist approach

Question 55

what did A believe could not have any real existence by themselves?

Answer 55

ideas

Question 56

what do ideas have to relate to according to Aristotle?

Answer 56

something in physical world

Question 57

name 4 sciences that A was the founder of

Answer 57

physics, biology, psychology, astronomy

Question 58

list 4 aetiological questions A explored?

Answer 58

- why are things the way they are? - what caused them? - what is the 'essence'? - why does it exist in the world?

Question 59

what is the term that A used to mean cause?

Answer 59

aetion

Question 60

what did A recognise when exploring the aetiological questions?

Answer 60

something can have several different explanations for its existence, on different levels

Question 61

How many causes did A make?

Answer 61

4

Question 62

What is the material cause?

Answer 62

explains what something is made from; although solely doesn't provide a explanation - investigating object's material helps us understand important aspects of it

Question 63

what is the material cause of a desk?

Answer 63

wood

Question 64

what cause refers to the shape/form which allows it to be identified?

Answer 64

Formal

Question 65

what is the efficient cause?

Answer 65

activity that makes something happen

Question 66

what cause refers to the purpose/telos of something existing?

Answer 66

Final

Question 67

what is the most important cause for A?

Answer 67

Final

Question 68

what idea was of great significance to Thomas Aquinas? (4 causes)

Answer 68

Final cause

Question 69

List 4 causes in order (A)

Answer 69

1 - Material 2 - formal 3 - efficient 4 - final