ancient philosophy

Question 1

rationalism

Answer 1

human reason source of all knowledge and truth

Question 2

cave analogy summarised

Answer 2

-prisoners in cave chained, fire illuminates shadows and think they are real
-one prisoner released through hard journey out of cave and sees light, truth out of cave
-prisoner sees how much better this world is
-if prisoner returns to cave he wont be able to see well in semi darkness and people will mock him

Question 3

what does cave represent in analogy

Answer 3

-out material world
-prisoner trapped in this lesser world only using their senses
-what prisoners think is real only shadow of real objects
-deceived by senses

Question 4

what does sun represent in cave analogy

Answer 4

-the highest of all forms- form of the good
-form of good illuminates all other forms
-enables the forms to be known through reason

Question 5

cave being inferior to outside world meaning

Answer 5

just like cave inferior to outside world
-like how senses less reliable than reason for using to gain knowledge

Question 6

meaning of prisoner being mocked by people in cave and not being able to see if he returns

Answer 6

-could be reference to socrates
-he was executed because he corrupted minds of youth in athens
-encouraged them to question and use rational thought
-shows how entrenched out thinking can be
-how we are reluctant to use our reason and rather rely on our senses

Question 7

arguments arguing analogy of cave us useful today

Answer 7

-shows senses deceive us, what we experience or observe only partial reality, shadows seen by prisoners inferior to real world outside cave
-truth only accessible to philosophers
-senses can trap us like chained prisoners, use senses instead of reason

Question 8

particulars

Answer 8

changing things we witness in world of senses for example roses in garden

Question 9

immutable

Answer 9

unchanging

Question 10

form

Answer 10

platos description of perfect unchanging concept or ideal in world of form eg, form of good

Question 11

anamnesis

Answer 11

soul remembering from the world of forms

Question 12

world of apperances

Answer 12

our world
-thing appear to be real but will die
-change or decay
-illusion of reality but poor imitation of reality
-

Question 13

why do we disagree on beauty according to plato

Answer 13

-because our senses deceive us
-our opinions based in senses which are unreliable
-

Question 14

world of forms

Answer 14

-immutable
perfect
eternal, forms or ideals
-reality remains constant
-can be understood through reason rather senses
-why person good and pen beautifull
-for plato- using reason we work out particulars participate in form of good, ideal concept of goodness

Question 15

heirachy of forms

Answer 15

form of good
-form of justice, form of beauty, equals
-abstract ideas
-mathematical reasoning
-above all in world of forms
-material objects and opinions based in senses from world of apperances

Question 16

the theory of the forms make sense arguments

Answer 16

-we observe in this world change and decay, nothing perfect and changing but world of forms everything perfect and eternal
-world of forms real world, like world outside cave, better than inside cave
-can be deceived by our senses so better to use reason
-world of forms has ideal concepts, beauty justice truth, immutable, recognise beauty in something because they participate in form of beauty

Question 17

the theory of forms makes no sense arguments

Answer 17

-change better than unchanging things, without change we couldnt progress in world
-material world all we know and have evidence of, senses help us learn and survive
-reason difficult, better to rely on senses as provide verifiable evidence
-if one form of good then why are there disagrees of about what true goodness is

Question 18

where did aristotle think knowledge came from

Answer 18

from senses, experiences and observations
-no need to look outside this world for answers

Question 19

motus

Answer 19

aristotle says everything in world changing
-things going from potentuality to actuality because of external forces
-

Question 20

aristotles four causes

Answer 20

describe process of change observed by our senses

Question 21

material cause

Answer 21

matter of substance something is made of
-doesnt yet explain how or why motus occurs

Question 22

efficient cause

Answer 22

-process of something coming into existence
-silversmith who makes ring
-describes process of change

Question 23

formal cause

Answer 23

-how we know something is
-shapes and character
-explains motus by describing result of the change from material cause through efficient cause into object it is

Question 24

final cause

Answer 24

describes the telos or purpose, why object is there
-most important to aristotle

Question 25

aristotles four causes give true picture of reality arguments

Answer 25

-material cause obvious, everything must have physical matter -efficient cause explains process of change motus, -formal cause helps us understand what something is, form of object its soul -final cause telos, questions why world or objects are they way they are -it object fulfills its purpose its good, goodness not found elsewhere but intrinsic to object -empirical theory application to everything

Question 26

aristotles four causes dont give true picture of reality arguments

Answer 26

-no material cause for concepts like beauty, only participate in form of beauty -Hume, observe cause and effect, doesnt mean effect result of cause -not everyone agrees on formal cause, what makes me me, no soul, only physical -goodness may not be linked to purpose, knife cuts well but is it a good knife -senses deceive

Question 27

problems with purpose weakness of four causes

Answer 27

-purpose doesnt have to be intrinsic, purpose given to object by creator -some things dont have purpose or purpose changes

Question 28

how did aristotle understand the universe to be

Answer 28

eternal no beginning or end

Question 29

what does movement of objects cause

Answer 29

things in world exhibit continuous motus -changing from potentuality, actuality, potentuality -movement results in change because thinks being drawn towards the final cause

Question 30

whats the prime mover

Answer 30

-ultimate final cause -immutable -final cause of movement and change because it draws things towards itself without doing anything itself -attracts things do it

Question 31

how does prime mover attract

Answer 31

-so everything in continous cycle from potential to actual -concentric circles of movement

Question 32

what does prime mover explain

Answer 32

-explains reason and purpose for constant state of motus

Question 33

features of prime mover

Answer 33

-pure actuality -demigod -must only contemplate itself -perfection

Question 34

aristotles prime mover helps explain world arguments

Answer 34

-we can observe natural things seem to have telos and drawn to end goal, prime mover explains motus and change -explains perpetual motion and predictability of planet movement, pure actuality and attracts perfection -as final cause gives everything ultimate purpose

Question 35

aristotles prime mover does not help to explain world arguments

Answer 35

-observation of purpose human construct, humans give purpose so its external not intrinsic to object, no external cause purpose, no need for prime mover -if prime mover pure thought, how can it effect universe, no causal effect -cannot observe prime mover using senses, moves to reason even though he discredits plato for it

Question 36

form of the good

Answer 36

highest form in forms -all other forms and particulars participate in form of good -sun in cave analogy

Question 37

what does form of good do

Answer 37

-enlightens us -gives understanding to mind -helps us to reason rather rely on senses -recollecting goodness from form of good -immutable, eternal, perfect

Question 38

similarities between form of good and prime mover

Answer 38

-both transcendent and cannot be known using senses, need reason to understand them -perfect, immutable, eternal -prime mover telos of everything and form of good aim of everything

Question 39

differences in prime mover and form of good- motus

Answer 39

-prime mover draws and attracts motus towards itself because its final cause -form of good unchanging and part of world of forms, change only happens in shadow world, unchanging

Question 40

aristotles prime mover more success arguments

Answer 40

prime mover explains why there is change -based prime mover on senses and final cause -form of good doesnt explain this world but prime mover clear about how it effects us -

Question 41

platos form of good more success arguments

Answer 41

-explains why change in shadow world, change and decay but participates in world of forms and form of good -prime mover cant be observed with senses but form of good not part of material world so better to use reason to work out -explains why we recognise goodness in shadow world, if something good, involved in form of good

Question 42

epistemology

Answer 42

study of knowledge

Question 43

plato and reason

Answer 43

knowledge comes from using reason and recollecting from world of forms -senses decieve and control us -senses chain and imprison us in ever changing world of shadows -knowledge unchanging and eternal so cant be from material world from senses

Question 44

aristotle and empiricism

Answer 44

-we should use our senses to discover knowledge -true knowledge found in categorising things by difference -motus, four causes and final cause -

Question 45

empiricism makes more sense of reality arguments

Answer 45

-no empirical evidence of existence of another world, should rely on senses -use reason after we have used senses and experiences and observed -if one form of good why do we disagree , can observe whether something fulfills its final cause -learning harder than remembering, with empiricism we learn with senses and experience

Question 46

rationalism makes more sense of reality arguments

Answer 46

-rationalists argue concepts like justice innate because we just know, knowledge through reason -reason makes more sense of reality remember what happens -senses deceive us, different opinions of whats good, if we escape senses we can understand form of good, -senses deceive, reason more difficult but more reliable

Question 47

heraclitus

Answer 47

thought world we experience in state of constant change which he called flux -plato interpreted him as challenging possibility to gaining knowledge

Question 48

criticisms to the form of the good

Answer 48

-aristotle disagrees with platos idea of immortality is ignorance of good -cultivating virtue requirmnent to do good -Nietzche says platos form of good is dangerous error and philosophers invent ideas that suit emotional prejudice like power -how single essence of particulars shows goodness -there cannot be one unified form of goodness

Question 49

criticism to theory of forms third man argument

Answer 49

-plato says if group of trees share character , they must all be partaking in form of treeness -infinite regress of things sharing character -undermine idea of forms that there is particular single form of quality that explains multiple particular instances of quality we experience in world of shadows

Question 50

P1 P2 C1 C2 of platos anamnesis argument

Answer 50

-P1- we have concept of perfect justice, beauty and maths P2- we have never experiences perfect instances C1- knowledge of perfect concepts must be innate C2- must be world of forms and we must have a soul which gained perfect concepts from it before we were born

Question 51

denying P1 of anamnesis argument

Answer 51

-justice and beauty subjective -matters of opinion not fact -culture and conditions determine what person finds beautiful -Hume- we can create perfection in minds even if we havent experienced it -take concept of imperfect and conceive opposite

Question 52

purpose unscientific weakness of four causes

Answer 52

Francis Bacon- criticised aristotle for saying final cause has no place in empirical world, but a metaphysical divine matter, -modern science rejects formal and final cause -deterministic universe with laws of physics doesnt have purpose -science can explain change and purpose in world without telos -

Question 53

McGrath defense of purpose not being scientific

Answer 53

-Swinburne, Polkinghorne, say science limited and cant answer all questions -tell is what but not why -cant answer questions on purpose so cant be used to disregard existence of purpose

Question 54

satres critique of telos

Answer 54

-no objective telos -existence precedes essence -humans exist before they have defined purpose and have to define their purpose for themselves -afraid of not having purpose, abandonment/ by god or reality -anguish/ weight of being responsible for own actions -despair/ inability to act exactly as wed like -easier to believe in objective purpose than face existential angst

Question 55

defense of aristotle against satre

Answer 55

-satres argument is psychological -doesnt provide metaphysical grounds for rejecting telos and commiting genetic fallacy -just because people have psychological need to believe in purpose doesnt mean it doesnt exist -

Question 56

genetic fallacy

Answer 56

-assuming that the way in which someone comes up with a theory is relevant to whether it is true or false

Question 57

newton criticism of aristotles prime mover

Answer 57

-newton claimed when moved object will move until met be equal and opposite reaction -aristotles inference that constant motion in universe must be maintained by something like prime mover false -

Question 58

defense of aristotles prime mover against newton

Answer 58

-he believed in empirical observation which created epistemological method which lead to modern scientific methods -newton only disproved aristotles claims about reality not his a posteriori approach to understanding reality so fails

Question 59

platos one over many arguments

Answer 59

-argument for world of forms -we think of world in orderly categorized way but live in a world of flux- so we must have been born with concepts like treeness and beauty -we must have dim recollection shadow like charesteristics by which we are able to recognize and categorise them

Question 60

aristotles criticism to platos one over many argument

Answer 60

--aristotle rejects the separation of form from things -things form is its essence, its defining quality -essential quality of treeness that a tree has cant be separated from a tree or it wouldnt be a tree -no basis for thinking that form of treeness is separate entity in another realm

Question 61

wittgensteins criticism of the one over many argument

Answer 61

-argued there is no precisely definable form or abstract ideal of category -we recognise member of a category as such due to its family resemblance to other things in that category -humans divide world through language and concepts when its useful in social context -categories defined by social convention not objective reality -categories conceptual schemes mapped onto human experience of world for purpose of performing specific function