Plato - metaphysical

Question 1

What did Heraclitus say about the world? (QUOTES)

Answer 1

“All things are in flux”
“You cannot step in the same river twice”

Question 2

What did Socrates say about life? (QUOTES)

Answer 2

“The unexamined life is not worth living”
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”

Question 3

How did Heraclitus influence Plato in terms of the ‘World of Forms’?

Answer 3

Plato also believed the world is constantly changing and in ‘flux’, therefore there must be a world wherein things are unchanging - ‘World of Forms’.
Said because the world is constantly changing, we cannot gain knowledge empirically (a posteriorti observation, from experience), there’s no point attempting to gain knowledge

Question 4

What’s the ‘World of Forms’?

Answer 4

Because we cannot gain true knowledge from our constantly changing world, Plato thought there must be an unchanging world.
Our minds are trapped within eikcasia (ignorance), true knowledge can only be gained within the World of Forms

Question 5

What are the qualities of Permanent Perfect?

Answer 5

• More real (than the shadow we experience)
• Eternal, absolute truths
• Unchanging
• The reason we experience things in our world

Question 6

What are the four forms and their functions?

Answer 6

1. Form of the Good - gives meaning and existence.
2. Forms of Abstract Concepts - justice, beauty, love, equality. Exist independently.
3. Forms of Physical Objects - individual objects of the material world are imperfect copies (particulars) of perfect forms.
4. Forms of Living Beings - all humans and animals have a perfect form.

Question 7

Explain Plato’s Cave allegory

Answer 7

Prisoners (us) stuck in a cave (our reality) - there are shadows (particulars in our world which are imitations).
The prisoner who escapes (a philosopher) is temporarily blinded by the sun (form of the good) but is enlightened by the real world (world of forms).

Question 8

Aristotle’s criticisms to Plato

Answer 8

1. Only one form of good - a good human isn’t the same as a good horse.
2. Forms are impractical - they aren’t studied by doctors or politicians, there is no objective good for everything.
3. Lack of empirical evidence - Plato’s forms are unchanging, so they don’t explain why our world is changing.

Question 9

What were Plato’s beliefs?

Answer 9

Dualist - believed the soul and body are separate entities.
Absolutist
Rationalist