AS Philosophy plato Flashcards
Who were the 3 ‘Fathers’ of Philosophy?
Who were the 3 ‘Fathers’ of Philosophy? Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Who was Plato
Socrates’ pupil
Founded written philosophy
What was Plato in terms of beliefs?(P)
Dualist
How does a dualist view the world?
made of two parts
What are the two parts of a dualists world?
World of Forms
World of Appearances
What is the dualists view?
Everything in the world has an ideal in the world of forms which we then copy into the world of appearances
What is everything in the world of appearances?(P)
A poor copy of the ideal
What did Plato say about our origin?(P)
we originally came from the WoF. When we were born our soul came down to the world of appearances from the WoF but forgot all we knew about the WoF.
What happens as we progress through life?(P)
We gradually remember parts of the WoF
What happens if we focus on appearances?(P)
We are stuck in the world of appearances
Dualists believe we are in two parts, what are they?(P)
Body - WoA
Soul - WoF
Why is a form unchanging?(P)
because it is a concept it is not like physical objects that imitate or copy the for
Why is the WoF more important to Plato than the WoA?(P)
Forms are unchanging, timeless and eternal
What is the most important form?(P)
The form of the good.
What is the sun representing in the analogy?(P)
Represents the Form of the Good.
It illuminates all life.
what is the cave representing in the analogy?(P)
Represents our material world - the world of appearances. We are trapped believing that we are living the truth.
The physical world of illusions.
what is the prisoners representing in the analogy?(P)
Represent the ignorant people who don’t try to understand more than empirical knowledge.
what is the shadows representing in the analogy?(P)
Represent what we see in our world which are merely poor imitations of the perfect Form in the world of Ideals.
what is the escaped prisoner representing in the analogy?(P)
Philosophers who have seen the truth and reached enlightenment, those who want to discover reality.
The struggle out the cave represents the struggle to enlightenment.
what is the return to the cave representing in the analogy?(P)
The escaped prisoner aims to spread his knowledge of the truth.
He is mocked because people fear the truth.
The philosopher bringing back new knowledge and expressing the realisation that the physical world is an illusion.
What is the hierarchy of the Forms?
The Form of the Good The Forms of truth, justice and beauty Mathematics and Geometry Forms of Abstract ideas Forms of Material objects e.g. Cars
