REASON-innatism

Question 1

what are the classic features of innatism that Plato displays

Answer 1

Innate ideas are ‘in’ us, although we might not be aware of them.
we can realise these innate ideas through reason.
innate ideas provide us with timeless truths

Question 2

where did Plato describe the slave boy argument

Answer 2

the Meno

Question 3

what is the summary of the slave boy argument

Answer 3

P1) the enslaved boy has no prior knowledge of geometry/squares
P2) Socrates only asks questions and doesn’t teach the boy about squares
P3) after the questioning, the enslaved boy can grasp an external truth about geometry/squares
P4) this eternal truth was not derived from the boys prior experience, nor from Socrates
C) this eternal truth must have existed innately in the boy to begin with

Question 4

what is a criticism of the slave boy argument

Answer 4

the slave boy may just be using reason to work out what must be the case given certain features of lines and shapes. Therefore it may not be innate knowledge he used but reason to discover the geometric truth

Question 5

what did Leibniz believe

Answer 5

that the human mind could gain knowledge of the world through reason alone promoted by the senses.
he believed that we had innate ideas that he called principles that are revealed through reason.

Question 6

Is ‘the sun rises everyday’ a necessary truth

Answer 6

no- we see the sun rise everyday (an instance), from this we make a general truth (induction) that the sun rises everyday. this is revealed by the senses but isnt a necessary truth as the sun may cease to exist.

Question 7

what is an example of a necessary truth

Answer 7

mathematical truths such as 2+2=4.the necessity of the truth cannot be revealed by the senses but by reason- the set of principles that are within us innately.

Question 8

how can Leibniz’s argument be summarised

Answer 8

P1) the senses only reveal instances of general truths
P2) the senses cannot reveal the necessity of a general truth
P3) our minds can see the necessity of some general truths
C) our ability to see the necessity of a general truth is not derived from the senses, but based on innate principles

Question 9

what are examples of innate principles according to Leibniz

Answer 9

truths of mathematics, logical principles such as the law of non-contradiction, the concept of identity