Plato and Aristotle Flashcards
Intro of what Plato and Aristotle are exploring.
Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher who cast doubt on the possibility of gaining knowledge. “a man never steps into the same river twice”. This is because both the man and the river change. The world is in a state of change. So the moment we know something, it has changed. So how do we get knowledge?
Plato - rationalism
View that knowledge can only be gained a priori and experience/our senses cannot be trusted. Theory of Forms and Allegory of the Cave show this.
What is the theory of forms?
We are in a ‘fake world’ and the true world is the world of forms. Forms are perfect, eternal and unchanging forms of things we experience here on earth (we have imperfect versions).
Counter to forms
No empirical evidence (not that Plato would care as evidence is just the shadows on the wall). Aristotle’s rejection of rationalism.
Evaluation for Aristotle and Plato
Aristotle has a better upgraded critique of Plato – he says we can gain knowledge from experience/evidence – through studying the causal processes responsible for the change we observe. Aristotle’s theory led to modern science which has successfully gained knowledge and manipulated reality. So Aristotle isn’t just saying there’s no evidence for the forms – he’s saying Plato is wrong to disregard the value of evidence itself.
Hierarchy of forms
- Form of the good (sun) - allows us to know the world of forms, responsible for the existence of others.
- Justice and beauty
- Mathematical forms
- Forms of things we see in our experience.
Counter of form of the good
Cannot be one unified form of the good which captures all the diverse and contextual forms of goodness in this world.
E.g. in military strategy ‘good’ is efficiently killing people, but, in medicine ‘good’ is efficiently keeping people alive. - ARISTOTLE
evaluation of form of the good
Aristotle’s argument and Nietzsche’s argument (invented in order to satisfy Plato’s desire for power) are successful as there has never been a morally perfect person. Unrealistic. Plato uses it to justify dictatorship.
Material cause
What something is made of e.g. wood of a chair
Formal cause
A thing’s essence or defining characteristic e.g. the shape of a chair. What the carpenter models the chair off.
Efficient cause
What brought it into being e.g. a carpenter
Final cause
The telos e.g. for a chair to be sat on.
4 causes counter
Modern science and Francis Bacon. Only believe what can be observed, therefore Bacon argues there is no room for a telos in this view. Purpose of change is an unnecessary concept.
Aristotle’s Prime Mover leading on from his theory of the 4 causes
Must be a prime mover causing the motion we experience in this world. An eternal chain of causation is not possible, therefore there must be a starting point. This is the final cause of the universe. Causes things to transfer from potential to actual through four causes due to attraction to the final cause of the prime mover.
Counter to the prime mover
Modern science since newton - if you move something it will continue to move unless met by an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore there is no need for a prime mover to keep things in continuous motion.
