Plato Flashcards
When did Plato live?
427-347 BCE
How did Plato write?
In dialogues
Who was Plato’s teacher
Socrates
What does plato argue about the form?
He argued that there has to be another place where everything is perfect
Forms are only presentable in the eyes of who?
Philosophers
What does plato think about the soul?
Plato reasoned that because we have a concept of the ideal form without having experienced them (e.g justice and beauty) our souls must have known the form before us.
The material world is the shadow of what
The realm of the forms
Where do our immortal soul belong in
The world of the form
What does Plato think the reason why children have knowledge on justice and beauty?
Because the soul when it is in the body has a vague recollections of the world of the forms
What is the most important and fundamental form?
The form of the Good
Where do all form come from
The form of the Good
How is the form of the good superior to other forms?
The form of the good is superior to all other forms in terms of reality and perfection.
what do the chained prisoners represent in the analogy of the cave?
Represent Mankind and how they have been chained up and trapped in the superficial world of desire and temptation. And how we are oblivious to true knowledge
What does the shadow play represent in the analogy of the cave?
They are created by real objects. The prisoner only has knowledge of the shadows so that is what they know is true. Like how is humans only know what is true in the material world and not in the world of the forms.
what does the cave represent in the analogy of the cave?
It symbolises our imprisoned immortal soul.
what does the journey outside the cave symbolises?
It describes the journey of the soul to be enlightened with true knowledge. Just as the prisoner is getting comfortable with the sun ray, so is our journey from comfortable ignorance to true wisdom
What does the sun represent?
It represents the form of the good, which for plato is the truth and true knowledge.
What does the outside world represent in the analogy of the cave?
When the prisoner came out of the cave they were blinded by the sun, but soon got used to it. This shows that true knowledge can be scary at first but once you get used to it there is nothing to be scared of.
What does The return of the prisoners represent in the analogy of the cave?
The prisoner who escaped went back to the cave to tell the others about what they witnessed. The prisoners refused to believe what he said and mocked gim
What is the meaning of the analogy of the cave?
Plato uses this analogy to show that the prisoner represent mankind trapped within a world of flawed sensory knowledge and we need to be set free to be able to see the form clearly.
Why is the sun important in the analogy of the cave?
The sun is important because the light it shines guided a path to true knowledge.
What book is the theory of the form in?
Book VII of the republic
