Weaknesses of Plato's Idea of Forms

Weaknesses of Plato's Idea of Forms

1. Plato argues that things such as art and poetry aren't conveyers of knowledge because they imitate things

   • BUT then how strong is argument when it is based on an ANALOGY?
     • He uses things from our world to express the World of Forms - is that taking away from what he is saying?
     • How can he say that things in our world are copies and then use them in an analogy to present things that are Forms?
       • Confusing his point
   • Because things work in a reality, does that mean reality is like an analogy?
     • What link, precisely is there between a Form of Beauty and beautiful things ?
       • Plato needs to spell put points more clearly

2. Danger in that Plato so undermines this world that he actually devalues any experiences we have here and now

   • Does our experience of daily life and things such as relationships, learning and making progress begin to seem worthless?
   • Is sense experience totally devoid of any worth?
   • Makes it seem like our lives have no purpose, everything we experience is not real, or is a copy

3. The Third Man argument - suppose a man is to copy the form of a man

   • Origin of the Form of the Man is a copy of the previous Form of the man
     • a copy of a Form could turn out to be an infinite series that never stopped
       • This would render the Theory of Forms meaningless as a way of explaining the ultimate origin of concepts such as Good, truth and justice.

4. Forms could just be ideas preserved in people's minds

   • Ideas of justice and beauty may not be Forms, but ideas in people's minds that they pass on to others, such as friends and children
   • If people die without passing on their idea then the idea dies out

5. Are there Forms of everything? bus tickets, deodorant, TV's etc

   • Although not interested in these objects, his idea spreads to these objects also

6. The proof of any other world other than the world of appearance is yet to be proved, with no evidence, how can we believe this?

   • Can't think something into existence!