Plato Flashcards
1
Q
How does A.N Whitehead refer to the history of philosophy?
A
- Refers to them as a series of footnotes to Plato
- Greek philosophy from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle could be said to have developed a basis for philosophy
- They are attributed as being part of the greatest philosophers that ever lived
2
Q
What does it mean when we say Plato was a rationalist?
A
- He believes some truths about the universe were knowable by the mind alone
- Some things are knowable through reason instead of observation and the philosopher could see beyond the world of sense, to the real nature of things
- Humans are successful when they use reason, humans only act badly when using emotion and do not do the right thing because of it
3
Q
What are The Forms?
A
- An ideal, eternal, single versions of things found on earth
- The Forms are found in the realm of the Form which is above the daily world and is wholly spiritual
4
Q
Give an example of the Forms
A
- If I wanted to bake a cake, I would have an image in mind but I can question where this idea arose from
- Aristotle argues it is from previous experience with cakes whereas Plato argues that the idea of the cake in itself does not suffer material decay of when I eat it
- Through this notion of permanence there must be an ideal cake which cannot exist in the real world due to imperfect copies
- The permanent and spiritual version of the cake are in the Realm of the Forms, a place where permanence and perfection can be found, as we long for this as humans
5
Q
How do the Forms affect humans?
A
- Plato argues our souls belong to the Realm of the Forms which is the true reality, not the perceived one we experience in this temporary world
- He argues we were trapped in these bodies and born into this world and forget the Realm of the Forms, occasionally remembering bits of it
6
Q
What is the process of learning for Plato?
A
- He argues al learning is humans own recollection of the Forms in a previous life
- Education does not put anything in a Childs mind but rather draws out what is already in there from the Forms
- An inventor does not create something new but rather remembers a perfect form of it, the same goes for improvements upon inventions
7
Q
What are the Two Realms?
A
- The Realm of the Forms, inhabited by spiritual souls and the true being in themselves
- The Realm of Appearances, the world in which things look somewhat like their original in the Realm of the Forms
8
Q
What is the Form of the Good?
A
- The Highest Form, all other forms have the goodness of perfection from participating in the Form of the Good
- It also brings enlightenment to the rational mind
9
Q
What is Plato idea of ratio in relation to the Forms?
A
- Plato assumes that if there are two forms they are in ratio of each other
- E.g what is truth in the Realm of Appearances is much greater in the Realm of Forms
- This shows Pythagorean influence
10
Q
What illuminates the Forms for Plato?
A
- Believes we need eyes and the sun to illuminate the objects in the Realm of Appearances
- Believes we need the forces of intellect to appreciate and illuminate the forms
- Intellect allows us to illuminate the Forms, the highest of the Forms
- Below the Form of the Good is other forms in a hierarchal manner
11
Q
Explain the Simile of the Divided Line
A
- A vertical line divided in two parts
- Upper Part is twice as long as the Lower Part, ratio of 2:1
- The Upper Part represents the greater Realm of the Forms, the Lower Part represents the lesser Realm of Appearances
12
Q
How does Plato argue that observation occurs in different ways in his simile of the divided line?
A
- He argues that if I look directly at a car it is more significant and closer to the form than if you were to look at a shadow of it
- From this he argues that if we have shadows and images in our world then we must have an equivalent in the Realm of the Forms
13
Q
What does truth and knowledge apply to for Plato in his simile of the divided line?
A
- Only applies to what exists
- Restricts our knowledge to simply awareness of the Forms
- Things do not exist in their full sense as they do in their real sense in the Realm of the Forms so we only have opinions or beliefs (doxa), not really knowledge
14
Q
What is the situation in Plato’s Simile of the Cave?
A
- Plato asks us to imagine an underground cave, which is connected to the outside world through a steep tunnel
- There are prisoners in the cave who are tied up and chained, they are facing a blank wall, behind them however is a road with a fire above it - the prisoners have been chained their entire lives and have never seen the road behind them
- The fire means shadows are casted onto the cave wall which they are facing, people walk along this road, carrying objects of various kinds
- These shadows of the objects appear on the wall in front of the prisoners and they hear the voices of those passing along, the only reality they know is the shadows on the wall
15
Q
What happens when the Prisoner is released in Plato’s simile of the cave?
A
- Plato then asks us to imagine that one prisoner is released from the chains
- He stands up and turns out, realising the road is real and all the objects which shadows they were seeing, are all real and that the previous reality was an illusion
- This represents the seeing of the worlds objects, ‘looking at’ rather than ‘looking away’
- The prisoner has to undergo a harsh journey of the ascent to the outside world
- This represents the difficult journey of philosophical enlightenment as at first the outside world would be too bright and dazzling
- He would then finally see the sun which illuminates all that exists in our world
