Plato

Question 1

What was Plato’s mission?

Answer 1

Seek the perfect form of justice and attempt to teach philosopher-kings who would implement this.

Question 2

Who was Socrates?

Answer 2

(470-399 BCE) An Athenian philosopher who thought that human beings could lead honest lives and that honour was far more important than wealth, fame, or other superficial attributes. Was Plato’s teacher and believed true knowledge lies in knowing you don’t know anything.

Question 3

What is Plato’s background?

Answer 3

Was Socrates student. He spoke in dialogues and founded ‘The Academy’ which is known to be the first university.

Question 4

What did Heraclitus say?

Answer 4

That everything is constantly in flux and nothing remains the same hence why “You cannot step into the same river twice”

Question 5

What did Cratylus say?

Answer 5

everything is evolving and becoming and by the time you have begun to understand one concept fully, the meaning of it would’ve changed so you can never achieve a full understanding of anything.

Question 6

What did Plato believe?

Answer 6

That there must be something permanent beyond the physical realm of observable change, in which we can gain true and certain knowledge. He suggests we live in the world of appearances.

Question 7

where does true knowledge belong?

Answer 7

the world of forms

Question 8

Why can’t we trust our senses according to Plato?

Answer 8

We can gain no firm knowledge from our senses as they are subjective and qualitative.

Question 9

What is our world?

Answer 9

Our world is the ‘sensible realm’- a world we perceive from our senses. The sensible realm is a shadowy reflection of the perfect world of forms.

Question 10

what is a form?

Answer 10

it is the essence of a thing. all objects either participate or reflect the forms. the forms are unchanging and perfect and are our reference point for true knowledge.

Question 11

how do we learn the forms?

Answer 11

We learn by recalling or remembering the knowledge gained by our immortal soul when in the realm of forms.

Question 12

Was Plato a dualist?

Answer 12

Plato was a dualist- he distinguished between body and soul. He believed that we all have immortal souls; the immortal soul belongs to the world of forms before being born into a physical body in the physical realm.
The soul recollects things from the world of forms which is why young children have basic knowledge of certain concepts.
The intelligible realm (world of forms) is transcendent.

Question 13

the form of the good?

Answer 13

all forms come from the form of the good. it is the form that sustains them all and enables us to gain knowledge from the other forms. For Plato, the form of the good is the ultimate object of enquiry and is superior to all other forms.

Question 14

The analogy of the cave?

Answer 14

Seen in Plato’s book, The Republic.
Discusses the ideal society and who should rule over it.
A story about prisoners being held captive in a cave: examines the progress of the mind from the lowest stages of understanding reality to a complete and enlightened understanding of the real world. This enlightened understanding of reality is the knowledge of the good.
Plato asks us to imagine a group of people that are chained up near the back of a cave, they are facing a wall and are unable to move or see anything other than the back wall of the cave.
The only thing the prisoners can see are shadows being cast on the back wall from a fire far behind them; therefore this is their whole reality as this is all they know.
Plato says if one of the prisoners were to be freed the first thing they would feel was pain and suffering, blinding by the fire he would be unable to see the objects in their true form.
If he was then taken from the cave and shown sunlight, he would be further blinded. Initially, he may seek shadows and reflections for comfort but slowly his eyes would get used to the amazing clarity of real colours, objects and animals.
Eventually, he would emerge from the cave and see the sun for what it truly was- the source of life. Then the prisoner would understand the truth about knowledge and reality.
If he was to return to the cave and tell the other prisoners what he found, they would call him insane and they would notice that his journey has weakened his ability to predict the movements of the shadows. This is because the enlightenment has made it hard for him to become accustomed to the deception that the shadows caused.

Question 15

what is the meaning of the analogy of the cave?

Answer 15

-Emphasises the difference between the appearance of the world and the reality behind it.
-Teaches that empirical knowledge is flawed.
-The situation the prisoners are in is no different from the situation that we are in. -Humans are prisoners, trapped within a world of flawed sensory ‘knowledge’
-Uses the analogy to criticise leaders by arguing they try to lead people to the truth (knowledge) when they do not know themselves.
-Plato shows how sometimes people are reluctant to be taught and gain knowledge. They find comfort in their ignorance.

Question 16

What is the analogy of the sun?

Answer 16

The analogy of the sun is a philosophical concept introduced by Plato in his work “The Republic.” In this allegory, the sun serves as a metaphor for the highest form of knowledge, truth, and the ultimate source of reality and goodness. Just as the sun illuminates the physical world, allowing us to perceive objects and understand our surroundings, the “Form of the Good” or the “Good” illuminates the realm of ideas and provides the basis for genuine knowledge and understanding.

Question 17

What is the analogy of the divided line?

Answer 17

The analogy of the divided line is another philosophical concept introduced by Plato in his work “The Republic.” This analogy presents a hierarchical framework that illustrates levels of understanding and knowledge. The line is divided into four segments, representing different stages or levels of cognitive engagement:
1) Imagination (Eikasia): The lowest level of understanding where individuals rely on images or shadows to form opinions. This stage is characterised by mere appearances and lacks genuine knowledge.
2) Belief (Pistis): The second level involves belief in particular objects or concepts. While individuals at this stage have moved beyond mere imagination, their understanding remains based on unproven beliefs rather than true knowledge.
Thought or Understanding
3) (Dianoia): The third segment represents a higher level of comprehension where individuals engage in reasoned thinking and employ hypotheses to understand abstract concepts and relationships.
Reason or Intelligence
4) (Noesis): The highest segment signifies the pinnacle of understanding, where individuals grasp universal truths and the Forms or Ideas. At this stage, individuals attain genuine knowledge and perceive reality in its purest form.
Through the analogy of the divided line, Plato emphasises the importance of progressing from ignorance and mere opinion to genuine understanding and knowledge. The framework highlights the philosophical journey toward enlightenment and underscores the hierarchical nature of cognitive development and comprehension.
Problems with

Question 18

problems with the theory of forms?

Answer 18

Is there such a thing as an ‘absolute good’? Once individuals have reached full knowledge of goodness then there should be no debate over moral issues as there would be firm agreement on what is right and wrong. But one may question if there are any absolute rules regarding morality.

There is no clear link between the realm of the forms and the world we know by appearances. Plato ignores the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’ and it makes more sense to find true knowledge in our world of changing reality rather than seeking it in the immortal world of forms

No empirical evidence of the world of forms. Materialists believe that there is nothing in existence other than physical matter. It cannot be proved and knowledge comes from experience.
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