Untitled Deck Flashcards
Who was Heraclitus?
An ancient Greek philosopher who believed the world is in a state of constant change, called ‘flux’.
What did Heraclitus famously say about stepping in a river?
A person never steps in the same river twice, as both the river and the person change.
What challenge did Heraclitus present regarding knowledge?
If everything is constantly changing, we cannot have true knowledge since what we know has already changed.
How did Plato respond to Heraclitus’ challenge?
Plato concluded that true, eternal, unchanging knowledge cannot be gained empirically and must be sought through a priori reason.
What was Aristotle’s response to Heraclitus’ challenge?
Aristotle believed we can understand the causal mechanisms of change and gain true knowledge from experience.
What is Plato’s theory of forms?
The theory that the true reality consists of perfect, eternal, and unchanging forms, while the world we experience consists of imperfect particulars.
What are particulars in Plato’s theory?
Particulars are the objects of everyday experience that are imperfect representations of the forms.
What does Plato’s allegory of the cave illustrate?
It illustrates that our experience involves mere shadows of the real, and true knowledge comes from understanding the forms.
What do the shadows in the cave represent?
The objects we experience in the world of appearances.
What is the form of the Good in Plato’s philosophy?
The highest form that both illuminates the world of forms and is responsible for all existence.
What is Aristotle’s criticism of Plato’s theory of forms?
Aristotle argued that Plato’s forms lack empirical validity and are an unnecessary hypothesis.
What are the four causes in Aristotle’s philosophy?
- Material cause
- Formal cause
- Efficient cause
- Final cause (telos)
What does ‘telos’ refer to in Aristotle’s theory?
The final end or purpose towards which something is directed.
How does Aristotle define actuality and potentiality?
Actuality is the current state of something, while potentiality is what something could become under certain conditions.
What is the main critique of Plato’s form of the Good by Aristotle?
Aristotle disagrees that ignorance of the good is the cause of immorality, arguing that cultivating virtue is necessary to do good.
What is the third man argument against Plato’s theory of forms?
It suggests that if forms exist for groups of things, then those forms would require another form, leading to an infinite regress.
What is Plato’s argument from recollection?
The idea that we have innate knowledge of perfect concepts, suggesting the existence of the world of forms and the soul.
What does anamnesis refer to in Plato’s philosophy?
The process of re-remembering the forms through a posteriori sense experience.
What is Aristotle’s view on the separation of form from things?
He rejects the separation, believing a thing’s form is its essence and cannot exist independently from the material object.
What does Francis Bacon criticize about Aristotle’s final causation?
He claims that final causation has no place in empirical science and is a metaphysical issue.
What is Aristotle’s empirical teleology?
The idea that we can understand change through analyzing causal processes without relying on teleological explanations.
True or False: Plato believed that knowledge could be gained through empirical observation.
False.
Fill in the blank: The form of the Good is illustrated by _______ in Plato’s allegory of the cave.
the sun
What is a major difference between Plato and Aristotle’s views on knowledge?
Plato emphasizes a priori reasoning, while Aristotle emphasizes empirical observation.
What is the essence of a chair according to Aristotle’s formal cause?
Its shape.
What did Nietzsche say about Plato’s form of the good?
He called it a ‘dangerous error’ and suggested that philosophers often invent ideas that suit their emotional prejudices.
What does the term telos refer to in philosophical discussions?
Telos refers to the end, purpose, or goal of an object or being.
How does modern science explain the ability of a seed to grow into a tree?
Modern science explains it through the seed’s material structure, not through a notion of telos.
According to McGrath, what limitations does science have regarding purpose?
Science can inform us about the ‘what’ of the universe but cannot answer ‘why’ it exists or its purpose.
What is Dawkins’ view on the validity of purpose-related questions?
Dawkins considers questions of purpose to be ‘silly questions’ as they assume existence has an inherent purpose.
True or False: Dawkins believes science can eventually solve the origins of the laws of physics.
True
What psychological argument did Sartre make regarding telos?
Sartre argued that humans must subjectively define their purpose, as existence precedes essence.
What is the genetic fallacy?
The genetic fallacy is assuming the origin of a theory affects its truth or falsity.
What does Sartre claim about our experience of our own minds in relation to telos?
Sartre claims that we experience ‘radical freedom’ and have no indication of a telos.
How does Aristotle define the essence of a human being?
Aristotle defines it as the ability to reason.
What is formal causation according to Aristotle?
Formal causation refers to the essence or defining characteristic of an object.
Fill in the blank: F. Bacon is known as the father of _______.
[empiricism]
What did Bacon argue about formal causation?
Bacon argued that formal causation is a metaphysical matter beyond empirical study.
What is Aristotle’s concept of the Prime Mover?
The Prime Mover is the first cause of motion, which itself is unmoved and pure actuality.
What does Aristotle argue about motion in the universe?
Aristotle argues that motion requires an explanation and infers the existence of a Prime Mover.
According to Aristotle, why can’t there be an infinite chain of motion?
An infinite chain of motion would never get started, necessitating a Prime Mover.
What challenge did Newton present to Aristotle’s view on motion?
Newton argued that an object in motion continues until acted upon by an equal and opposite force.
What is Plato’s One Over Many argument?
It posits that abstract qualities exist separately from particular instances, allowing for categorization.
How does Aristotle respond to Plato’s One Over Many argument?
Aristotle argues that form cannot be separated from the things it characterizes.
What criticism did Wittgenstein offer regarding the One Over Many argument?
Wittgenstein argued that categories are determined by social conventions, not objective reality.
True or False: Modern science fully supports Aristotle’s concept of final causation.
False
What is the implication of the relationship between the brain and rationality according to modern science?
There is scientific evidence linking brain processes to rationality, though consciousness is not yet fully understood.
