Plato

Dualistic metaphysics

branch of Plato's philosophy which claims that there are two kinds of reality: (1) "the reality of physical objects in space and time" (2) "the reality of concepts, ideas, forms, or essences, which are objects of thought"

ethics

branch of philosophy that questions morality vs right and wrong

logic

branch of philosophy that questions the validity and principles of reasoning and arguing/rhetoric.

epistemology

branch of philosophy that questions truth and the limits of knowledge

political philosophy

branch of philosophy which seeks to find the best form of government and questions the principles of government & power

philosophy of history

branch of philosophy which seeks to understand how human history relates to present and future life

metaphysics

branch of philosophy which seeks to understand reality and what is real

Why didn't Socrates leave Athens in order to escape the death penalty?

it would be legally and morally wrong to escape, since every citizen of a state has entered into a social contract to obey its laws

Describe Plato's requirements for how the ruling class of his Republic should live.

"No one must have any private property whatsoever, except what is absolutely necessary"

What was the subsequent "reign of terror" called?

"the Rule of the Thirty"

What is Alfred North Whitehead's famous quote about Plato?

"the history of Western philosophy is only a series of footnotes to Plato."

The Sophists' position of moral relativism

(1) Argued that all moral and political principles are relative to the group which believes them. (2) Claimed that the laws of cities are not natural and unchangeable but are merely the product of custom or convention. (3) one is not obliged to obey the law

Interpretations of the Allegory of the Cave

(1) It is an allegory of sleep and waking, of our time as asleep in the dark of the cave and needing to awake to a clear vision of the world. (2) It is an allegory of our time as needing to be born again, to emerge from the darkness of corruption into the light of truth and morality. (3) It is an educational allegory of our time as needing to ascend through stages of education from the darkness of intellectual and moral confusion in its everyday beliefs, to the light of true knowledge and values. (4) It is a religious allegory of Christian conversion from the cave of self-love and self-gratification to the love of God and devotion to His truth.

Explain the several interpretations of Socrates' death

(1) The martyrdom of Socrates as the secular counterpart of the martyrdom of Christ (the best among us, the wisest, the noblest, the purest, the most righteous, we put to death). (2) Representing the hostility of the masses toward philosophy and philosophers. (3) Expressing the power of the state over the individual and his freedom of inquiry. (4) As a mask for his defense of aristocracy against Athenian democracy.

Describe the four main points of Socrates' philosophy

(1) The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing. (2) the improvement or "tendance" of the soul, the care for wisdom and truth, is the highest good (3) "if you condemn me, you will sin against the gods who have given me to you" (4) the principle that virtue is knowledge

From what social and economic class did this leader come?

a very prominent, powerful family.

What is the most common criticism of this view?

Even if one possesses the knowledge

How is Socrates' view of virtue a rationalistic moral philosophy?

A rationalistic moral philosophy is a view which claims that reason, or rationality, is the exclusive or the dominant factor in moral conduct.

What was the outcome of this war?

Athens finally surrendered to Sparta in 404 BC

How did this city-state's government differ from that of Athens?

Authoritarianism (ruled by a military elite with absolute power).

What was the extent of Plato's political involvement in later life?

Educated the new young King, Dionysius II.

What form of government did Athens have during its Golden Age?

Democracy (people elect all officials).

What is the literary form of Plato's philosophical writing?

Dialogue

What does Socrates mean when he says that "to know the good is to do the good"?

Evil, wrongdoing, or vice are due to the lack of knowledge or to ignorance, and to nothing else. wrongdoing comes only from failure to know what is good.

The story of the Allegory of the Cave

Illustrates the dualistic theory of reality. Pictures mankind as living in an underground cave which has a wide entrance as prisoners. The prisoners see nothing but the shadows of what goes on behind them. The shadows become their world and reality. If the prisoners ever were freed, and saw what the shadows were, they would be blinded by the fire and become angry and prefer to regain their shadow-world.

How is Plato a synthesizer of earlier philosophical ideas?

From his synthesis of many points of view comes the rich variety, the depth and the scope, of Plato's philosophy.

What did Plato do after the death of Socrates?

He left Athens with some of his close friends.

What were the charges the Athenians brought against Socrates?

He was charged with impiety, speaking against the gods, and also with corrupting the youth of Athens.

Why do most modern people disagree with this view?

Just possessing the knowledge of human nature, how to live, and what will bring happiness does not guarantee that they will act upon it and do good.

In what ways did he believe that both of them were wrong?

In supposing that one or the other must be true of all of reality. Reality is not characterized by a single quality.

the Socratic Method AKA the "Method of Dialectic"

It is a form of seeking knowledge by question and answer.

How is it that knowledge is virtue, and virtue is knowledge?

Knowing the good, no man would voluntarily choose evil. A lack of virtue comes from an ignorance of right vs. wrong.

What did his family likely think about Athenian democracy and why?

Once supported Pericles and his democracy; however, opposed the failures of the democratic government in its conduct of the war.

Into what socio-economic class was Plato born?

One of the most aristocratic landowning families in Athens.

In what way did Plato believe that Heraclitus was right?

Only about one kind of reality, physical or material, not about all reality.

Who was Athens' most famous political leader during this period?

Pericles

the Sophists

Philosophers who made a reputation as teachers of rhetoric, the art of making persuasive public speeches. They argued that since reason produced conflicting claims, one must doubt the power of reason to lead to truth.

Why is the care of the soul more important than the care of the body?

Pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is the highest good. Through this virtue, comes very other good thing for mankind

How is [the Allegory the Cave] an indictment of modern science?

Science, too, is chained so that it can see only shadows. Its basis is in sensory observation, its conclusions are only in the form of correlations of observations. It does not venture into true causes or into long-range consequences.

rationalistic moral philosophy

Socrates's view of virtue, of what is right and what is good

Who did Athens fight in the Peloponnesian War?

Spartans

Explain why Protagoras was a skeptic.

argued that since there is no way of determining the truth about reality, reality must be said to have whatever qualities are claimed for it.

What was the name of Plato's school?

The Academy

Why does Plato choose to speak through the person of Socrates in his writings?

The dialogue came from his actual experience of listening to Socrates in his characteristic conversations. All the philosophy Plato wrote is attributed to him.

Who in the [Allegory of the Cave] is the philosopher-king?

The liberated one, having made the ascent to know the truth and the good, has a mission: to return to the cave, to bring enlightenment, to bring the good news, even though he may be killed for his services.

Why did Plato believe that all democratic governments are doomed to disaster?

The many an never know what is good for the state. They lack intelligence and training + are swayed by unstable emotion.

What is the political message behind the [Allegory of the Cave]?

The public are ignorant and corrupt, without true knowledge of themselves or of the world, motivated by greed, power, and self-gratification. They are chained in bondage to ignorance.

How did the Sophists turn Greek philosophy in a new direction?

They turned away from philosophizing about the physical universe and toward the study of human beings and their moral, social, and political life.

After the war was over, what group revolted against the democratic government?

aristocrates

How does the Allegory of the Cave critique our everyday lives?

as being in bondage to superficialities, to shadow rather than to substance.

If "the unexamined life is not worth living" what is the nature of the examined life that is worth living?

never to know what is good for human beings is to live a life of striving to achieve but never finding happiness.

The views of Parmenides

not change but permanence is the fundamental character of reality.

What is the political significance of Plato's dialogue The Republic?

offered a blueprint for an ideal government of an ideal society.

In what way did Plato believe that Parmenides was right?

reality is permanent and unchanging, but it is true only of one aspect of reality. There is Parmenides's world of universal and unchanging true ideas which are knowable by reason

Counterexample

shows that the definition which was offered is too narrow, too restricted, or is biased/uninformed.

Where was Plato's school located?

the Grove of Academus.

What was the political goal of Plato's work as a teacher?

the development of a true philosophy and the education of potential philosopher-kings in the Academy

The views of Heraclitus

the fundamental character of reality is change itself. Nothing remains the same.

skepticism

the philosophic position of doubting the possibility of any true knowledge.

Plato was born in Athens around 427 B.C.E. (before the common era); what historical events had been happening there around the time of his birth?

the war with Sparta began

What was Plato's primary intention as a philosopher?

to find definitions for the concepts of justice and of the state.

Who did Plato teach?

young men and women of the noble classes from all of Greece and Asia Minor who were intending to pursue a political career.