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Questions and Answers
What is the primary focus of the branch of philosophy known as metaphysics?
What is the primary focus of the branch of philosophy known as metaphysics?
Which of the following is NOT a theory of reality?
Which of the following is NOT a theory of reality?
Who was Plato's teacher?
Who was Plato's teacher?
What is the main purpose of Plato's Allegory of the Cave?
What is the main purpose of Plato's Allegory of the Cave?
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According to Plato, what is the 'Form' or 'Idea' of a thing?
According to Plato, what is the 'Form' or 'Idea' of a thing?
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What is the name of the institution founded by Plato?
What is the name of the institution founded by Plato?
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Plato's World of Being?
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Plato's World of Being?
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What is the term for the belief that nothing exists?
What is the term for the belief that nothing exists?
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What is the essence of a thing according to Plato's theory of Forms?
What is the essence of a thing according to Plato's theory of Forms?
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How can we know the Forms according to Plato?
How can we know the Forms according to Plato?
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What is the characteristic of the Forms that makes them eternal?
What is the characteristic of the Forms that makes them eternal?
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What is the ultimate principle of reality and truth according to Plato?
What is the ultimate principle of reality and truth according to Plato?
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What is the relationship between the Forms and the world of appearances?
What is the relationship between the Forms and the world of appearances?
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What is the characteristic of the Forms that makes them perfect?
What is the characteristic of the Forms that makes them perfect?
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What is the role of the Good in Plato's metaphysics?
What is the role of the Good in Plato's metaphysics?
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What is the characteristic of the world of appearances according to Plato?
What is the characteristic of the world of appearances according to Plato?
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Study Notes
Metaphysics and Reality
- Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that seeks the basic criteria for determining what things are real.
- Theories of reality include:
- Monism: the belief that reality is composed of one thing.
- Dualism: the belief that reality is composed of two things.
- Pluralism: the belief that reality is composed of many things.
- Nihilism: the view that nothing exists.
Plato (428-348 BC)
- Ancient Greek philosopher
- Student of Socrates
- Teacher of Aristotle
- Founded the Academy of Athens, the first higher institution of learning in the Western World
- Works: The Republic, Crito, Apology
The Allegory of the Cave
- Plato uses this allegory to show the relationship between appearance and reality, and the responsibilities of philosophers.
- The allegory illustrates that things are not always what they seem, and that beliefs are not necessarily knowledge.
Plato's Theory of Reality
- Plato holds that there are two worlds:
- The World of Being (Reality): composed of eternal and perfect Forms or Ideas.
- The World of Becoming (Appearance): the ever-changing world of sensible objects.
Plato's Theory of Forms
- Also known as the theory of Ideas.
- The theory of Forms is the belief in a transcendental world of eternal and immaterial things that corresponds to every kind of thing that exists.
- The Form of something is what the thing is, its essence, nature, essential structure, and object of definition.
Characteristics of Forms
- Self-predication
- Independent from particulars
- Perfect
- Simple
- Unchangeable
- Eternal
- Intelligible, not sensible
- Incorporeal
- Causes of being
- Non-spatial
Characteristics of Particulars (Appearance)
- Changeable
- Spacio-temporal
- Sensible
- Corporeal
- Subjective
- Imperfect
- Copied: not original, an example
- Complex
How Can We Know the Forms?
- A Form can be grasped by the mind, but not the senses.
- Reasoning is the way to come to the knowledge of the Forms.
- In apprehending the Form of something, the mind is acquainted with the reality of that thing, and knows the truth about it.
The Ultimate Principle of Reality: The Good
- The Ultimate principle of reality and truth is the Good.
- Any instance of being, found anywhere, is traceable finally to the Good.
- The Good is the highest Form, giving things we know their truth, and making it possible for people to have knowledge.
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Description
Explore the branch of philosophy that seeks to determine what is real, including Plato's theories and different approaches to understanding reality.
