Ancient philosophy

Question 1

What is Plato’s book?

Answer 1

‘Republic VII’

Question 2

What Plato a rationalist or empiricist?

Answer 2

rationalist

Question 3

what analogy did Plato use?

Answer 3

analogy of the cave

Question 4

what is the quote by Heracilus that presents Plato’s agurment?

Answer 4

“You cannot step in the same river twice”

Question 5

what book did Plato express the Demiurge?

Answer 5

‘Phaedo’

Question 6

who was the demiurge to plato?

Answer 6

created the world

Question 7

how did the demiurge create the world?

Answer 7

thriugh limited resources , the result of our world is from the only resources available which is why it’s not perfect

Question 8

what was Aristotles book?

Answer 8

‘metaphysics’

Question 9

was Aristotle a rationalist or empiricist?

Answer 9

empiricist, believed we gain knowledge from our senses

Question 10

what are the four causes in order?

Answer 10

1. material
2. formal
3. efficient
4. final

Question 11

whats the material cause?

Answer 11

what something is made from

Question 12

whats the formal cause?

Answer 12

the form / shape of the object ie: can tell a desk not a chair from the shape

Question 13

whats the efficient cause?

Answer 13

the activity that makes something happen ie: carpenter making the desk

Question 14

whats the final cause?

Answer 14

the purpose of the object being fulfilled its reached its telos ie: desks purpose is to write on

Question 15

who did Aristotle argue created the world?

Answer 15

the prime mover

Question 16

why did Aristotle argue the prime mover created the world?

Answer 16

our world is in a constant state of flux so it changes but cannot be effected by itself

Question 17

what were qualities the primer mover had?

Answer 17

1. doesn’t depend on anything
2. eternal
3. perfectly good
4. immaterial
5. beyond space and time

Question 18

whats pure actuality?
who used this?
applied too?

Answer 18

means perfectly good
used by Aristotle for the prime mover who is perfectly good

Question 19

why did Plato argue we cannot gain true knowledge from our world?

Answer 19

the objects we want to know are never the same , we cannot gain true knowledge from something thats always changing
(think of your friend constantly changing their argument, you would never understand the truth)
in a constant state of flux

Question 20

where did plato argue we do gain true knowledge?

Answer 20

in the forms ( a world that is eternal and always stays the same)
gain knowledge from the forms using our reason

Question 21

how did plato argue we know someone doing an act of justice?

Answer 21

we know what ‘true justice’ is as a concept but when we see mankind completing justice we know this isn’t perfect justice

but the fact we recognise its not perfect demonstrates we have an inner innate understanding of ‘the form of justice’

Question 22

did plato argue we have an understanding of the forms from birth?

Answer 22

yes he argued we do even if we do not realise it , we have innate knowledge

people must have immortal souls and have lived in the realm of forms before born into material world as human beings

Question 23

what are three things Plato wanted us to learn from the analogy of the cave?

Answer 23

1. ways which material, physical concerns blind people to what is really important
2. ignorance of humanity when don’t engage in philosophy
3. there’s another world which we can reach and enlighten us

Question 24

what do the prisoners see rather than ‘real’ objects?

Answer 24

see shadows of different objects and each other
they have no reason to question some objects are made from one thing and others are made from another

Question 25

finish the quote "to them...the truth" | about the cave analogy!

Answer 25

"to them...the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images" - Republic VII

Question 26

from the analogy of the cave , what is plato explaining about our senses?

Answer 26

we are perceived by our senses as they don't give us true information and the people in the cave are unaware of their own ignorances

Question 27

for plato, what does us the readers present?

Answer 27

we present Socrates we can see exactly what the prisoners are missing out on, gaining the truth and being enlightened similar to how socrates knew there is a whole world of the forms and people are ignorant of philosophy and missing out

Question 28

within the cave analogy, what did the sun (form of the good) provide for the prisoner who escaped?

Answer 28

the sun illuminates all of his knowledge . provides structure to his life and enables him to see other things as they really are

Question 29

why could Dawkins argument oppose platos cave analogy?

Answer 29

nonsense to talk of a transcendent other world beyond the physical. our world might be changeable but we can still study the changes and processes to gain value and true knowledge

Question 30

in the cave analogy, who do the prisoners represent?

Answer 30

majority of mankind who live in a stage of illusion and they only perceive reality through 'shadows'

Question 31

what do the chain represent in the analogy of the cave?

Answer 31

the prisoners holding onto their distorted views , believing they are true

Question 32

what do the shadows present in the analogy of the cave?

Answer 32

.material world available to the senses which the prisoners think is real . reality = a pale reflection of something else . presents the world of opinion, guesswork and illusion . objects are poor copies of the real things so prisoners don't see the real image

Question 33

what does the cave present in the analogy of the cave?

Answer 33

sensory world we live in (world of sight) not the real world when we speak about things we simply express opinions and reflections since we are talking about reflections and our understanding of them

Question 34

what does the outside world present in the cave analogy?

Answer 34

world of the forms place of true and real objects which the prisoner first encounters when they come out of the cave

Question 35

what does the sun present in the analogy of the cave?

Answer 35

form of the good everything depends on the sun / form of the good FOTG = author of all things and sources of reason and truth

Question 36

when the prisoner escapes into the form of the good, what is this demonstrating?

Answer 36

reaches enlightenment when their soul rises into the intellectual world , comes to understand FOTG

Question 37

finish the quote about the form of the good "the universal cause of all ...."

Answer 37

"the universal cause of all things right and beautiful, the source of the truth and reason' - Republic VII

Question 38

what does the fire present in the analogy of the cave?

Answer 38

soul which pre exists in the world of the forms the fire allows prisoners to see shadows , so our should also allows us to see shadows