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Cards (100)

  • Who was Heraclitus?
    An ancient Greek philosopher
  • What concept did Heraclitus introduce regarding the world?
    The world is in a state of constant change
  • What did Heraclitus mean by saying a person never steps in the same river twice?
    Both the river and the person change
  • How did Plato interpret Heraclitus' challenge?
    It challenges the possibility of gaining knowledge
  • What conclusion did Plato draw from Heraclitus' challenge?
    True knowledge cannot be gained empirically
  • What does Plato suggest we should rely on to gain knowledge?
    A priori reason alone
  • How does Aristotle's view differ from Plato's regarding knowledge acquisition?
    Knowledge can be gained from experience
  • What does Plato believe about our perception of the world?
    We are trapped in a state of ignorance
  • What does Plato call the true reality?
    The world of forms
  • What are particulars according to Plato?
    Imperfect representations of forms
  • How does Plato illustrate his theory of forms?
    Through the allegory of the cave
  • In Plato's allegory of the cave, what do the shadows represent?
    The objects we experience
  • What happens when a prisoner escapes the cave in Plato's allegory?
    He sees the real world of forms
  • What does Plato argue about experience and knowledge?
    Experience reveals mere shadows of reality
  • How does Aristotle criticize Plato's theory of forms?
    It lacks empirical evidence
  • What does Aristotle think about the necessity of Plato's forms?
    They are an unnecessary hypothesis
  • What is the principle similar to Ockham's razor that Aristotle follows?
    Do not believe unnecessarily complicated explanations
  • What are Aristotle's four causes aimed at explaining?
    Knowledge from experience
  • What is the form of the Good in Plato's theory?
    The highest form that illuminates all others
  • What does understanding the form of the Good enable a philosopher to do?
    Rule as a philosopher king
  • What are higher forms according to Plato?
    Aspects of goodness like justice and beauty
  • How does Aristotle criticize the form of the Good?
    Ignorance is not the sole cause of immorality
  • What does Aristotle argue about the essence of goodness?
    It cannot be unified due to its diversity
  • What is the third man argument against Plato's theory of forms?
    It leads to infinite regress of forms
  • How does Plato respond to the third man argument?
    Forms cannot partake in anything but themselves
  • What is Plato's argument from recollection?
    Knowledge of perfect concepts is innate
  • What does Plato conclude about the source of knowledge?
    It must be a priori
  • What is anamnesis in Plato's theory?
    The process of re-remembering forms
  • How does Hume respond to Plato's idea of perfection?
    We can conceive perfection from imperfection
  • What does Aristotle's theory of the four causes explain?
    Change in the universe
  • What is the material cause of an object?
    What a thing is made of
  • What is the formal cause of an object?
    Its essence or defining characteristic
  • What is the efficient cause of an object?
    What brings it into existence
  • What is the final cause of an object?
    The end goal or purpose of a thing
  • How does Aristotle view the relationship between form and matter?
    They cannot be separated
  • What did Francis Bacon criticize about Aristotle's final causation?
    It has no place in empirical science
  • How does modern science view purpose in the universe?
    It operates without purpose
  • What does modern science suggest about the telos of objects?
    It can be explained by material structure
  • How does Aristotle's view of change differ from modern scientific views?
    Aristotle includes purpose in his explanations
  • What is the significance of the prime mover in Aristotle's philosophy?
    It is the final cause of the universe