The forms

Question 1

What are the 4 aspects of goodness?

Answer 1

Justice, Wisdom, Courage and Beauty

Question 2

What does Plato believe we have an intuitive knowledge about?

Answer 2

The form of goodness and how we are able to recognise people’s actions for being good or bad.

Question 3

Why do people act imorally according to Plato?

Answer 3

Ignorance

Question 4

What happens in the physical world and how is it different to the World of the forms?

Answer 4

The physical world is always in a constant state of change, the objects therefore can never be of completely true knowledge. The world of the forms however is eternal and always stays the same.

Question 5

What do we have an ‘inner understanding’ of?

Answer 5

Ideal forms

Question 6

Due to our intuitive knowledge what does Plato believe?

Answer 6

Our souls have experienced to world of the forms before our birth and therefore are immortal

Question 7

Although we are aware of the forms what do we experience on a daily basis?

Answer 7

The phenomena of the imitations around us

Question 8

What is a form?

Answer 8

Unchanging, perfect and eternal

Question 9

How many criticisms are there?

Answer 9

8

Question 10

What is the subjective criticism?

Answer 10

Instead of having innate knowledge perhaps our idea of beauty etc has just been passed on through generations. Every one has a different idea on what good is so surely this highlights how there is no objective reality that corresponds to good.

Question 11

‘Where does it end’ criticism

Answer 11

Are there forms of match sticks and deodorant bottles? What about the things that didn’t exist when Plato created his idea? Are new forms made?

Question 12

The lacking of explanation criticism

Answer 12

Plato doesn’t explain the relationship between forms and particulars

Question 13

What are particulars

Answer 13

Individual explamples - cat pen dog

Question 14

Plato stated there are things that are less or more real, why do people criticise this?

Answer 14

It doesn’t make sense. Something is either real or it is not.

Question 15

The third man criticism

Answer 15

This criticism was levelled by Aristotle. Suppose we have a man. He is a copy of a form of a man. There must then exist a form of a form of a man. The chain is infinite.

Question 16

The ‘cat’ criticism 🐱🐱🐱

Answer 16

Do we have a form of a cat? If so is there a perfect form of a tabby cat and then a Siamese? Or is there just one perfect cat? If this is the case Forms stop being universals and they degenerate.

Question 17

The comprehension criticism

Answer 17

If this world and the world of the forms is so far removed then how are we able to learn from the world of the forms?

Question 18

The unpleasant criticism

Answer 18

Are there forms of evil and forms of cancer and mud and poo? If so the world of the forms isn’t so pleasant but if not then Platos idea falls apart.

Question 19

What is a universal?

Answer 19

Perfect forms and imperfect copies

Question 20

What is the Demiurge ?

Answer 20

A God who created the world from material which was already present. He wants the best for humanity however is not the source of all goodness.

Question 21

Explain Platos epistemology ?

Answer 21

Plato teaches us that no one knows the true meaning of goodness- it is the highest form of knowledge and understanding. He tells us true reality is somewhere else and we only see what we wish.

Question 22

What is AJ Ayer opinion on Plato and the forms?

Answer 22

When we talk about good or bad we are simply only expressing our emotional reaction and there is no reference to knowledge.

Question 23

There are two supportive points for Plato, what are they.

Answer 23

Objective reality of things - we all do have a understanding of things, no one looks at the holocaust and thinks it is good.
Personality - Platos theory highlights that there is more to a person than your body. This is accepted by most people today.