plato

Question 1

what is the logic behind using our senses

Answer 1

we can identify things like chairs and tables - so is it possible to see courage or justice

Question 2

plato justice example

Answer 2

if you borrow a pruning knife from your neighbour, it is just to give it back. however, if the neighbour had become mentally ill, and a danger to himself and others, so it would not be just to return the knife.
= there is nothing about the physical action itself that can tell us that something is just or unjust as we cannot see as we can see a table. rather, we reflect using reason. ideas like justice are objects of reason and not perception.

Question 3

what is a form definition

Answer 3

an entity that can be known through reason alone and not through our senses.

Question 4

what does plato reject about values

Answer 4

he rejects the notion that value is a matter of opinion. in the end there is a fact of the matter about what is just or good or beautiful.

Question 5

how does plato prove that these forms exist

Answer 5

we disagree for example that abortion is wrong or right, and we argue that things are true not matters of opinion otherwise we wouldnt argue. so if they are objective, they must exist.

Question 6

plato’s belief of forms

Answer 6

FORMED FROM MATHMATICAL BASED LOGIC
-our minds can access entities called forms through reason and thereby giving us knowledge of values.
-forms are imperceptible and they are unchanging (as they are objective so therefore always true). there are forms corresponding to major value terms; justice, beauty and goodness.
-Plato thought access to the forms was not impossible and progress is made through every rational debate
-our world is the material world and is full of imitations and shadows of the forms. the forms exist in the world of the forms
-when we are born, we have a dim recollection of the forms - as we can instinctively recognise something as beautiful without being taught it.
=therefore, Plato concluded that it must be that we have and immortal soul whihc was once part of the world of the forms.

Question 7

what type of knowledge is gained from senses

Answer 7

empirical knowledge

Question 8

what type of skill is reasoning

Answer 8

a priori - innate

Question 9

the hierarchy of forms

Answer 9

1. form of good which is the ‘form of forms’ as all forms have some good in them
2. higher forms eg beauty, justice
3. material objects + images.

Question 10

plato’s analogy to sight

Answer 10

sight requires both light (good) and the eye to see clearly. plato’s implication is that without the knowledge of the form of good, one does not see clearly, like trying to see in complete darkness.

Question 11

plato’s cave analogy

Answer 11

people chained to chairs and the only light in the cave is from the fire behind the wall that is behind them. behind this wall, people are walking, carrying statues - casting the shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners.
one of the prisoners is freed and he turns around and sees that the shadows are made by the statues. he leaves the cave and sees the importance of the sun - now he doesnt want to go back underground.
he remembers his friends in the cave and wants to go back to teach them about the reality. he goes back but his eyes cannot adjust to the darkness. the prisoners decide to never leave the cave and put to death anyone who tries.

Question 12

what does plato’s cave signify

Answer 12

-the importance of questioning everything in order to distinguish between the real world and the material world.
-the cave = the material world, the shadows = lies/comfortable realities told by society, the outside = real world, the return to the cave = a philosopher’s duty to educate the world.

Question 13

strengths of plato’s theory of the forms

Answer 13

1. Brian Davies: analogy of the cave is useful to illustrate the theory of the forms.
2. Stephen Evans: plato offers a rational argument for the existence of another reality/world.
3. Bryan Magee: encourages people to seek enlightenment rather than being caught up in the material world. he says ‘the theory that there is another world than this gives value and meaning to our present world’
4. effective argument to evil and suffering. it is the material world so therefore not perfect; it is the actions of material beings that causes suffering.
5. helps us understand concepts that seem innate - as nobody has invented beauty or justice.
6. logical, reasonable, clear and coherent

Question 14

weaknesses of plato’s theory of the forms

Answer 14

1. Hume and Dawkins woudl argue that Plato’s ideas about the physical world are counterintuitive - as it is not common sense to say that the world around us is an illusion as it seems so real. Dawkins would argue that the talk of a transcendent world is meaningless.
2. Logical Positivists would question about opinion; how can two people always come to the conclusion of what is good/beautiful/just. people have there own opinion.
3. Empiricists such as John Locke and Bertrand Russel argue it is not logical to argue for a world we cannot see. they would argue reality is based on sensory evidence an not reason
4. Plato argues senses are inferior but they enable us to learn, communicate and survive. Dawkins supports this
5. Plato doesn’t address the extent to what has a form eg is there an ideal form of a slug or cancer - he doesn’t fully explain his theory as it is difficult to accept its value.

Question 15

plato criticisms about infinite regress

Answer 15

if we have knowledge about goodness - he argues we have knowledge about the form of the good. however, if we have knowledge about the form of the good, does this mean we have knowledge about the form of the form of the good.???????? philosophers debate this flawed infinite regress.

Question 16

immanuel kant on palto

Answer 16

he agrees with plato’s emphasis on absolute values and the universal absolutes of concepts such as justice, which can be projected through human rights etc.

Question 17

epistemology

Answer 17

plato emphasizes this
it is the philosophical study on how we acquire knowledge
plato argues from innate recollection of another realm

Question 18

one over many argument

Answer 18

you recognise a cat and many cats as you recognise the forms, you recognise partu

Question 19

wittganstein on the one of many opposites

Answer 19

he proposes the idea of family resemblance on the one of many argument. we recognise overlapping resemblance in species gives example of family photo - youd recognise them because they look similar not because you know about the form of the perfect family.

not right that there is universal categories. we categorise due to social context eg a bush might look similar to a tree

Question 20

brian mcgee in favour of plato’s cave

Answer 20

cave analogy is good because it gives us hope of a perfect reality through enlightenment

and gives meaning to our present world

Question 21

mel gibson flaws of plato’s cave

Answer 21

it is flawed as it doesnt depict the world we live in accurately. eg its not attainable for everyone to become a philosopher, coming from ancient greek world, not modern world, we are not chained up in a cave, we have free will.