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Ancient Philosophical Influences - Coggle Diagram
Ancient Philosophical Influences
Introduction to philosophy
A priori
Knowledge that is known independently of experience
A posteriori
Knowledge that is known through experience, observation, or empirical evidence
Analytic
A statement that is true by definition
Synthetic
A statement whose truth depends on the way the world is
You need observation and experience
Plato and The Analogy of The Cave
Allegory
A story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Analogy
The act of comparing one thing with another that shares similar characteristics to help a person learn about the first thing
Analogy of the cave
Prisoners are chained up in a cage
They see shadows on the wall and think that is reality
A prisoner escapes and sees the real reality
The prisoner returns and explains this to the remaining prisoners but they don't believe him
The prisoners represent the majority of people who cannot see the true reality
The escaped prisoner represents philosophers
Doxa
Knowledge from senses
Episteme
Knowledge from reason
Plato's The World of The Forms
World of appearances
Our world where things decay and change
World of the forms
Immutable, perfect forms and ideals
Particulars or phenomena
The changing things we witness in the world of senses
World of the forms
Forms represent the most accurate reality of something
What we experience in the world are merely shadows of deeper reality (links to the cave)
The perfect form itself cannot be experienced, only grasped by reality
Only accessible for philosophers
Most important form is the form of the good
Why is the form of the good most important?
If people know the Form of the Good, they will know what is good and what is bad and choose good
People only choose bad due to ignorance
Demiurge
Greek for craftsman or workman
Plato believed a God called Demiurge created the world from pre-existing shapeless matter
The Demiurge is good and wants the best for humanity
He can only do the best with what he has, so this world can never be perfect
Support for Plato
Descartes
We have concepts that exist in the mind first and then help us construct reality
Kant
Does not believe empiricism can give you accurate information about the world around us
Brian Davis
Without forms we would not be able to discuss, argue, agree or disagree on 'general features of the real world'
Criticisms of Plato
Dawkins
Any talk of the 'transcendent' is meaningless as there is evidence to support such a claim
Kotarbinski
Plato has made the mistake of thinking that words like justice or good or love really exist independently
They only exist in as much as a person is loving or good
He is quick to suggest that we cannot say that these things 'exist' in any absolute sense
Aristotle
The third man argument
Is the man in the physical world a copy of the Form of Man or a copy of the copy of the Form of Man?
This paradox appears to render the theory of the forms meaningless
Aristotle and The Four Causes
Aetion
Used by Aristotle to refer to explanation or cause
Aristotle's observations
The physical world was in a constant state of motion and change (motus)
The planets seemed to be moving eternally
Change or motion is caused by something
Objects in the world were in a state of actuality or potentiality
Potentiality
The possibility of doing something or becoming something
Actuality
When potential is achieved
The four causes take potentiality to actuality
The four causes of existence
Material
What it is made from
Formal
The shape/ form/ structure of something
Efficient
Why the things exist
Final
The function
The Prime Mover
Form and matter
Aristotle argued that knowledge of a form was a posteriori
Form
A thing's specific characteristics
Changes
Matter
The stuff of which something was made
Doesn't usually change
Aristotle
The universe is eternal
Planets continuously rotate
The world shows continuous change, motus
This movement results in change as things are being driven towards the final cause
All change depends on there being a mover
Behind every movement there is a chain of events that lead to that
This chain of events must lead back to something which moves but is itself unmoved
The Prime Mover
Aristotle's idea of God
Not one to pray to, but one that represents the end to which all matters is moving and aspiring
Has no form
Is a pure substance
Attracts things to it
If it pushed things, it would also be changed
The final cause for everything in the universe
Criticisms
Not everything needs to have a telos
Dawkins, Sartre, Russell and others suggest the universe does not have or need a telos
Plato vs Aristotle
Rationalism vs empiricism
Plato
Truth and knowledge come from reason
Our senses mislead us
We have an innate sense things before experiencing them, such as justice or beauty
Knowledge comes from the World of the Forms
Aristotle
Truth and knowledge come from experience
Senses help us to form concepts
Reason is limited without using experience as well
If there is one Form of Good, we should not disagree and right and wrong
Differences
Plato: World of the Forms and the Form of Good are not beings - Aristotle: The Prime Mover is a spiritual being and Aristotle's idea of God
Plato: The Form of Good is unchanging and part of the World of the Forms - Aristotle: The Prime Mover attracts motus towards it
Plato: The World of the Forms cannot think - Aristotle: The Prime Mover thinks of itself and its perfect nature
Plato: The Form of Good is solely for goodness - Aristotle: The Prime Mover covers motion, cause, and change, rather than morality
Plato: Humans could encounter the World of Forms after death - Aristotle: No suggestion humans could gain knowledge of from the Prime Mover after death
Similarities
Plato: Form of Good represents ultimate goodness - Aristotle: Prime Mover represents ultimate cause
Plato: Form of Good is the primary cause of every else and illuminates the other forms - Aristotle: Prime Mover is the cause of existence and reason why everything is in motion
Both: Independent necessary existence
Both: No interest in the moral affairs of humanity and no interaction with the world