Ancient Philosophical Influences Flashcards
(35 cards)
Who was Heraclitus? What did he believe and what what his famous quote?
An Ancient Greek Philosopher who cast doubt on the possibility of gaining knowledge because the world is in a constant state of flux; “a man never steps in the same river twice”
Plato was a rationalist, what does this mean?
Knowledge can only be gained a priori (from pure logic), not posteriori (from experience)
What is Plato’s perfect, eternal and unchanging reality called?
The World of the Forms
Who said that the 5 senses are limited and often flawed?
Descartes
What does Plato say about the role of the philosopher regarding the cave allegory?
“it is the task of the enlightened not only to ascend to learning and to see the good but to be willing to descend again to those prisoners and to share their troubles and their honours”
What type of evidence does not exist for the forms?
Empirical evidence
What does Aristotle argue about being a good person?
Being a good person is required to do good, not simply knowing what goodness is
What does Nietzsche say about the form of the good?
It is a “dangerous error” and Plato only invented it to justify philosophers leading society
What does Aristotle say about the diversity of goodness?
There cannot be one form of the good which captures all of the diverse forms of goodness in the world.
How does Aristotle describe Plato’s forms?
“nonsense, and even if they do exist, they are wholly irrelevant”
What is Plato’s ‘Third Man’ argument?
If there is a group of things which share the same characteristics, they must all be participating in the same form
What is Aristotle’s counter to Plato’s ‘Third Man’ argument?
Aristotle argues that if we had a group of things which all participate in the same form, this would then create another group which all participate in the same form and so on… ad infinitum (an infinite regress)
How does Plato respond to Aristotle’s counter to his ‘Third Man’ argument?
The forms themselves cannot participate in other forms because they are what the particulars really are
What is Plato’s argument from recollection?
We have knowledge of perfection despite never seeing or experiencing perfection. Therefore, our soul must have remembered experiencing perfection in the world of the forms. The process of remembering is called anamnesis
What example does Plato use in his argument from recollection?
Socrates (an uneducated slave boy) drew shapes in the sand and knew how to solve geometry equations. He must have been born knowing mathematical concepts
How does Hume respond to the argument from recollection?
Perfection is created in our minds, it does not exist. We can just take something that is imperfect and call it perfect
How can we respond to the argument from recollection with evolution?
Evolution could have programmed us to have a sense of beauty and justice and the evolution of intelligence explains being born with mathematical concepts.
What is the Form of the Good?
The source of all other forms and the cause of their existence. It illuminates all other forms.
What is the Allegory of the Cave?
Prisoners in a cave only see shadows of objects cast in front of a fire. When the prisoner is freed (like a philosopher) he is able to adjust to sunlight and see the real objects. If he ever returned to the cave he would be able to discern shadows from real objects but all the other prisoners would think he was mad.
Who does the Allegory of the Cave show the role of?
The Philosopher
Who taught Aristotle?
Plato
What does Aristotle describe his works as?
“Inquiries into nature”
What category of organisation did Aristotle develop?
Per genus et differentia (by type and by difference)
What does Hume describe causation as?
“A scientific curiosity”
