RE: Philosophical laguage and thought section 1 Flashcards
what is a priori and a posteori knowledge?
a priori: statement which is knowable without reference to any experience.
a posteori: a statement which is knowable only after an experience.
what were the key points of the theory of the forms?
- true reality exists beyond the material world.
- we see beautiful things in our world, but we haven’t seen the higher form of beauty.
- things in the material world imitate themselves in the forms. Objects in the forms go beyond human comprehension.
- when we’re born, we have a dim recollection of the forms, which is why we see different things as being beautiful.
what are the problems with the theory of the forms?
- no evidence.
- infinite regression.
- forms for new technology?
- irrational to say there’s a world we cannot see.
- came up with it 1000s of years ago and it still hasn’t been proven.
what did Plato say about the senses?
- they cannot be trusted as they can deceive us sometimes.
- its better to use reason and a priori knowledge as it doesn’t involve empirical evidence.
- he doesn’t believe that the material world is real as it can only be experienced with the senses.
how effective is Plato in explaining the world?
- EFFECTIVE
- they help us to understand complex ideas such as love beauty and justice, which are universal and absolute. we didn’t invent these things, we discovered them.
- logical and reasonable theory concerned with the idea that there are universal concepts which exist independent of our experience.
- mathematics is a universal truth, we discovered it, not invented it.
INEFFECTIVE:
- infinite regression: the form of a form.
- lack of evidence: we can’t see the forms so there’s no reliable evidence.
- we can’t not use our senses.
- subjectivity: things such as beauty are based on personal preference. It’s unlikely that people come to the same conclusion so there can’t be a single form for beauty.
what did Aristotle say about ‘cause’?
- he was concerned with why things exist in our world and what causes an object to be what it is, we can find the purpose of the object by finding out. His goal was to find the purpose of the universe.
- 4 CAUSES: material (what it’s made of), formal (shape), efficient (who/what made it), telos (purpose).
what did Aristotle say about the senses?
we should trust them as we’ve used them to survive for thousands of years so why should we stop using them now? Also, he disagreed with the theory of the forms because his approach was empirical so he wasn’t concerned with the theory of the forms.
what were the principles of the prime mover?
- causes motion and change in the universe without being caused itself.
- transcendent: beyond the human powers of understanding.
- things are caused in the universe, if we trace back far enough we will reach the prime mover as infinite regression is impossible.
- the prime mover is the final cause of the universe. Christians believe this to be God.
how is Aristotle effective in explaining the universe?
- we experience movement and change in our world.
- senses are good evidence that the world is real.
- many things in our world have a purpose.
- it’s reasonable to say that everything has a cause.
how is Aristotle ineffective in explaining the world?
NO EVIDENCE OF THE PRIME MOVER:
- no clear evidence that everything has a purpose, some things are seen to be pointless.
- we experience movement and change but there’s no evidence to prove that it was caused by anything.
- no empirical evidence.
- some philosophers claim that there’s no purpose for the universe
how does plato’s use of reason compare to Aristotle’s use of the senses.
PLATO’S RELIANCE ON REASON:
- believes in rationalism.
- we gain understanding through logical reasoning.
- true knowledge comes from recollection of the forms.
ARISTOTLE’S USE OF THE SENSES:
- believes in empiricism.
- four causes.
- we should rely on our senses as we’ve used them to survive for thousands of years and can’t not use them.
- we’re caused by the unmoved mover, purpose of out existence.
