Plato

Question 1

What are Forms?

Answer 1

Immutable eternal essences from which objects (particulars) are based upon

Question 2

What is the relation between Forms and particulars?

Answer 2

All objects either imitate or participate with a Form

Question 3

Why aren’t objects reality in themselves?

Answer 3

They are in a constant state of flux - always changing

Question 4

What is the Form Good?

Answer 4

1) Source of all our knowledge
2) Gives forms their perfectness
3) The force which unites the Forms
4) First principle of everything

Question 5

What is knowledge for Plato?

Answer 5

Episteme - infallible, cannot be otherwise. It is about what is real, rather than ignorance which is about nothing. Directly refers to the Forms

Question 6

What is opinion for Plato?

Answer 6

Doxa - belief, can be mistaken. Between knowledge and ignorance is about something. Refers to the material realm

Question 7

What is the divided line?

Answer 7

The line between realm of the Forms and the material realm which distinguish the mental states associated with them:

1) Knowledge/intelligence and thinking are in the realm of Forms
2) Belief and imagining are in material realm

Question 8

Arguments from imperfection

Answer 8

Our world is imperfect, so we must have innate ideas of what perfect is so that we can recognise things when they eventually change. These a priori concepts are of the Forms and allow us to have a continued grasp on what things are

Question 9

Argument from unmistakability

Answer 9

Equal sticks and stones can appear to be unequal, whereas equality by definition cannot. Perceptual knowledge (particulars) is therefore often mistaken whereas conceptual knowledge (Forms) is not

Question 10

Argument from Recollection

Answer 10

Meno’s slave - recollecting knowledge of the Forms

Question 11

Hare’s criticism

Answer 11

The Good and the Right exist in the Greek language, however we shouldn’t mistake this peculiarity of language to make the unconscious slight into concluding they are existing properties.

Question 12

Criticism of knowledge and opinion

Answer 12

Knowledge and opinion may have different faculties doesn’t mean they are possess different objects. We can redefine knowledge = justified true belief and opinion = unjustified false belief to show their relation

Question 13

Criticism of certainty

Answer 13

We do not need to hold knowledge to such a high threshold - we can accept knowledge = justified true belief

Question 14

Criticism of coherency

Answer 14

Participation: If the Form Mountain participates in two mountains, then surely it has splintered - not necessarily, it can be day in two places but one source

Question 15

Reductio ad absurdum

Answer 15

If there is a form of man and abstract values like goodness, then there must be one of woman, and blonde hair woman, and etc. infinite regress with a form for every instance of everything

Question 16

Third Man Criticism

Answer 16

Aristotle’s definitive refutation:
Two men resemble each other as they share “manness”, and now they resemble the form man. Now to explain how these three things resemble each other, we need another independent criterion, however this leads to an infinite regress and acceptance that Forms aren’t the highest. Plato could say Form Man isn’t in itself man, but then he’d have to say the same for Form Good