Ancient philosophical influences

Question 1

Ancient philosophical influences - Introduction

Answer 1

Plato and Aristotle - two of the most important Greek philosophers whose ideas have had a clear influence over Christian thinking. Interested in gaining true knowledge and the nature of wisdom. Consider questions about God and realities beyond the physical world.

Question 2

Ancient philosophical influences - Plato

Answer 2

> A rationalist - we gain knowledge through reason

>A dualist - reality can be divided into two; the physical world and the world of the forms

Question 3

Ancient philosophical influences - Plato’s understanding of reality

Answer 3

> Reality consists of the physical world of phenomena and the world of concepts (the world of forms)
We know the physical world through sense experience but this can be misleading
We know the world of the forms through reason which gives more certainty
Physical world = always changing
World of the forms = unchanging

Question 4

Ancient philosophical influences - The Forms

Answer 4

Concepts, ideals, and universals that we can use to help us understand the world. Phenomena in the physical world ‘participate in their forms’. The forms are known through reason. The Form of the good is the highest of all the forms. We know about the forms from birth (innately).

Question 5

Ancient philosophical influences - The analogy of the cave

Answer 5

He compares the physical world with a dark cave and the world of the forms as a sun-filled ‘real world’. Asks us to imagine the prisoners in a cave who have never known anything else, they accept what they know because they don’t know any better. A prisoner leaves the cave and is enlightened by the Form of the Good which gives him knowledge of the true world.

Question 6

Ancient philosophical influences - The analogy of the cave - meaning

Answer 6

Knowledge gained through experience of the senses (empirical knowledge) is inferior to knowledge gained through knowledge of the forms. The ‘physical cave world demonstrates that knowledge gained through the senses can be misleading. People who never question this knowledge are ‘imprisoned’ by their own ignorance.

Question 7

Ancient philosophical influences - Limitations of Plato’s thought

Answer 7

> Richard Dawkins - It makes no sense to talk of another world beyond the physical one. We cannot make any meaningful statements of other worlds.
No evidence to support the world of the Forms.
Physical world is worth studying even if the knowledge we gain from sense experience is not certain.
The theory is unclear - does each type of being have its own Form?
Do we all recognise ‘goodness’ in the same way?

Question 8

Ancient philosophical influences - Advantages of Plato’s thought

Answer 8

> Recognition that senses can sometimes mislead us can be seen as valuable.
Could be commended for encouraging people to look past surface appearances in order to gain understanding.
Some critics welcome Plato’s assertion that there is more to reality than the physical world.

Question 9

Ancient philosophical influences - Aristotle

Answer 9

> An empiricist - we gain knowledge through experience (through our senses)

Question 10

Ancient philosophical influences - Aristotle’s understanding of reality

Answer 10

> Learn about reality through observation of the physical world.
If anything beyond this physical world exists, we have no way of knowing.
Reality can be explained in four different ways (the four causes)

Question 11

Ancient philosophical influences - Aristotle’s four causes - material

Answer 11

Explains what something is made from.

Question 12

Ancient philosophical influences - Aristotle’s four causes - formal

Answer 12

Explains what shape something takes or what its identifying features are.

Question 13

Ancient philosophical influences - Aristotle’s four causes - efficient

Answer 13

Explains the activity that makes something happen. Brings about change and ‘actualises’ potential turning something from what it could be into what it is.

Question 14

Ancient philosophical influences - Aristotle’s four causes - final

Answer 14

Something’s purpose or reason for existing at all. Used the term ‘telos’. He thought something was good if it achieved its telos.

Question 15

Ancient philosophical influences - The Prime Mover

Answer 15

Must be some prime mover to account for the fact that everything in the physical world is changing. An endless chain of cause and effect is not possible. Prime mover is the first of all substances and depends on nothing else for its existence (it is also eternal). It causes change or motion in everything else by attraction. It is perfect good because it is unchangeable and therefore cannot be corrupted.

Question 16

Ancient philosophical influences - Limitations of Aristotle’s thought

Answer 16

> Writing often lacks clarity (possibly because we only have fragments of it)
Dismissed Plato’s belief in another world too quickly and depends too heavily on sense experience.
Russell etc reject the idea that the universe has telos
Perhaps the universe came by about chance (no prime mover)
No definite conclusion

Question 17

Ancient philosophical influences - Advantages of Aristotle’s thought

Answer 17

> Admire Aristotle for giving confidence to the idea of scientific observation through observation.
Credited with laying the groundwork for later philosophers (cause and effect)
His way of gaining knowledge could be seen as the best way to learn about the world