Chapter 4: Plato

what are the parts of the soul? how does each one function?

1. appetites e.g. body needs and desires - food, drink 2. voice of reason - source of the love of truth and understanding 3. spirit - source of the desire for honor, respect and self-esteem i.e pride, anger etc

what are some problems in plato's theory of the forms?

1. are there forms of everything? 2. how does one form of humanity distribute itself over many particular individuals? 3. the third man argument

what problems does plato have with the view that knowledge is based on sense experience?

1. he says that sense perception only gives us the world of constant change- we can never say with confidence what is true as the world is always influx all claims about the sensory world are relative to the perceiver 2. the object of knowledge must be something universal that we can capture in an unchanging description/definition

summarize plato's requirements for having genuine knowledge

1. objective 2. unavailable to the sense 3. universal 4. unchanging 5. grounded in a rational understanding

what are the 3 divisions in society and how do they relate to plato's theory of human nature?

1. producers - provide the necessities of life and all its economic goods/services e.g. farmers, carpenters 2. the guardians - concerned with welfare of society as a whole and protect it from both external and internal enemies 2.1 auxiliaries - support and enforce policies of the rulers e.g. police and military 2.2 the guardians - establish policies and laws within society e.g. philosophers

what is glaucon's view of the nature of morality?

1. some things are good for their own sake and not for their consequences e.g. enjoying a sunset 2. some things we value both for their own sake and for their consequences e.g. knowledge and health 3. some burdensome things we value only for their consequences e.g. healthy teeth from regular visits to dentist

what are the various ways plato explains the relationship between the forms and particular things?

1. the forms are the cause of the existence of particular things e.g. statue casting shadow 2. physical objects resemble their forms e.g. photo represents person in it 3. particular objects participate in their forms e.g. three circles 4. forms represent the standards of evaluation we use to judge particulars as excellent or deficient e.g. horse breeders judge their stock in comparison to the ideal horse

draw plato's divided line, explain the different modes of awareness and how they relate to the different objects of awareness

A - the imagination state corresponds to borderline realities such as shadows, images, reflections, dreams etc B - common sense belief corresponds to the realm of natural objects/ cultural objects C - thinking/cognition as mind uses objects in visible world as means of arriving at an understanding of the intelligible world - knowledge is fragmented and based on assumptions D - pure knowledge where the mind soars beyond all assumptions and comes into contact with the pure forms

why does plato think there must be such forms?

all things share common universals/forms

what is a teleological explanation?

an explanation in terms of a purposeful or goal directed order

why is knowledge something more than simply having true beliefs?

beliefs can either be true or false where as knowledge must always be true

what are universals or forms to plato?

characteristics or qualities that things have in common

given plato's view of human psychology, what does this tell us about how to live well

if all the elements are in the correct balance, then justice can be achieved in a human

what is metaphysical dualism

elief that there are two kinds of reality: material (physical) and immaterial (spiritual)

why does plato believe the forms are real and not simply ideas in our heads?

he argued that if the forms are the true objects of knowledge, then knowledge must be of something real and the forms must be objective, independently existing realities

how does plato argue against relativism?

he finds relativists position flawed and says that relativists do not really believe all opinions are equally true- they believe they are correct and their opponents are wrong

how does plato explain change?

he said that there is a world in constant flux (physical world), at the same time there is a world that is eternal and unchanging (intelligible world)

what is moral relativism and why does plato reject it?

he says even though our bodily appetites and irrational desire cloud our visions, it does not prove that there are no right and wrong answers. it is easier to perceive the truth in these areas

why is plato opposed to democracy?

he says that democracy will lead to political and psychological bondage as it is impossible to meet the needs of every individual and tension will become rife because of differences of opinion

what sorts of changes would cause a decline in the perfect society?

if the rulers came to love honor and ambition rather than the good of society if democracy occurred

according to plato, what is innate knowledge and how do we acquire it?

innate knowledge is that which is with us from birth - plato believed that before the soul entered the body, it came into contact with the forms but on entering the physical world we forgot this knowledge he says that we can rediscover this knowledge through process of recollection

explain what plato means when he says there are degrees of knowledge

plato means that there are different levels of knowledge which can only be attained by going beyond the physical world and understanding the forms

explain the various points plato is making in the allegory of the cave

the cave represents the physical world which is made up of different levels of copies and images the land above represents the realm of the forms the sun represents the good which shows that simply accumulating more knowledge about the shadows will not produce understanding just as a person who has climbed out of the cave is the only one who can understand the shadows for what they are, so the person with wisdom is one who has mentally gone beyond the physical world and understood the forms that make all things intelligible

what is the demiurge in plato's view of the universe? what is its function? how is it similar to and different to the judo-christian view of god?

the demiurge is the supreme cause referred to as god. he believes that everything that is created must be created by a cause. his view differs from that of judeo-christians in that he doesn't believe that god made the cosmos out of nothing, but believes that his god created the cosmos out of pre-existing materials i.e the forms

what is the good in plato's system and what is its relationship to the world and knowledge ?

the good is the source of the being and reality of all things which enables our minds to see the truth. the knowledge discovered here cannot be put into words because the good is the transcendent source of all partial truths that words can convey

what is socrates' and plato's answer to the question 'why be moral'?

they said its a ridiculous question

why would plato say that it is impossible to draw a circle?

we cannot see true circularity, we can only know it conceptually through the mind i.e a perfect circle has points all equidistant from the centre and is unchanging

what is the ideal society according to plato?

where the 3 divisions are present in society and work together to produce a peaceful society