Evaluation Of Platos Forms

Question 1

How widely accepted are Platos theory of the Forms

Answer 1

-Despite his enormous influence across philosophy and western culture, very few philosophers actually accept Platos Forms

Question 2

What are criticisms of Platos forms

Answer 2

• Plato asserts that the world of the Forms exists but provides no evidence of reasons for accepting this
• However some would say this is a weak argument and ask how you can expect their to be physical evidence of a non physical world
• Platos theory could also be argued as too abstract as people place importance in the world we currently experience through the senses
• Platos theory of the Forms also seems a bit elitist, saying that only intellectuals and philosophers are capable of being good- philosophers are not necessarily more moral than less intellectual people
• Platos theory and his splitting of people into those who know and those who don’t seems a bit simplistic

Question 3

What were Aristotle’s criticisms of the Forms

Answer 3

• Aristotle said Platos theory’s fail when pushed to their extremes with particular forms. However to counter this it could be said it is not the ideas about particulars that actually matter but only about the higher forms and form of the good
• Aristotle also said the forms have no practical value e.g knowledge of the form of health does not help in diagnosis or treatment

Question 4

What are some points that seem to support Platos theory

Answer 4

• Our senses do deceive us with optical illusions so plato could be right that we can’t fully trust them
• we do also seem to have an innate knowledge e.g we recognise that an animal is a cat or a dog even if we haven’t seen that particular type before. It could be argued this is due to our innate knowledge of the Forms . However many philosophers would say that the theory of evolution gives us empirical means of explaining similarities between animals