Plato - Forms

Plato - Forms

1. Empirical knowledge not valuable because our senses can't be trusted as the world is constantly changing. as everything's in a state of flux, EK is subjective opinions.

2. Innate knowledge - gained through the mind, have it from birth

3. Dualistic view - body and soul exist separately from each other but are linked

4. Spiritual beings = souls Material beings = chairs, dogs etc. Each has its own realm.

5. Realm of reality = world of the souls and perfect concepts. Intelligible world. world beyond the senses. True knowledge. Eternal and unchanging.

6. Realm of appearances = our world of imperfect phenomena, the visible world of the senses and opinions, decaying and changing constantly.

7. We have an idea of what beauty is because we have IK of true beauty/the Form of beauty. We have examples of imperfect and reflected beauty e.g flowes

   • Due to our souls which knew the Forms before we were born as they're immortal and eternal

8. Forms are interconnected and arranged in a hierarchy. The Form of the Good is the highest and most important.

   • Like the sun in the Analogy of the Cave, it illuminates and is the source of all other forms.
   • It's the greatest thing we have to learn. Knowledge of it is an end in itself. Gives meaning and purpose to life.

9. Evaluation

   • Dawkins: 'memes' passed through generations. Why we know things without being taught.
   • Aristotle: The 3rd Man Argument. What's the origin of the Form of a man?
   • Realm of reality can't be proved.
   • If there are forms of everything, there are forms of disease and suffering!
   • If 2 people can come to different conclusions about goodness, it's subjective and relative, so what is true goodness?
   • He says the world of appearances isn't valuable, but without it we couldn't survive.