Plato & Aristotle

• Who was Heraclitus and what was his view on knowledge?


  Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher who cast doubt on the possibility of gaining knowledge.
• What does Heraclitus mean by “a man never steps into the same river twice”?


  This means that both the man and the river change, indicating that the world is in a state of flux.
• How do Plato and Aristotle respond to Heraclitus' challenge regarding knowledge?

  Both Plato and Aristotle are trying to answer the challenge of how we can gain knowledge despite constant change.
• What is rationalism according to Plato?

  Rationalism is the view that knowledge can only be gained a priori, from pure logic, and not a posteriori, from experience.
• What does the Allegory of the Cave illustrate in Plato's philosophy?


  The Allegory of the Cave illustrates Plato's rationalism and his theory of forms, showing how prisoners mistake shadows for reality.
• What do the prisoners in the cave represent in Plato's Allegory?

  The prisoners represent people who believe that the world they see is the real world, but it is actually an illusion.
• What are the forms in Plato's theory?

  The forms are perfect, eternal, and unchanging representations of the everyday things we experience.
• How does Plato view empirical evidence in relation to the forms?


  Plato believes that empirical evidence is just shadows on the wall of the cave and is not a reliable source of knowledge.
• How does Aristotle critique Plato's rationalism?


  Aristotle argues that we can gain knowledge from experience and evidence, which Plato discounts.
• What is the significance of Aristotle's theory in relation to modern science?


  Aristotle's theory led to modern science, which has successfully gained knowledge and manipulated reality.
• What is the hierarchy of forms in Plato's rationalism?


  The hierarchy includes the form of the good at the top, followed by higher forms like justice and beauty, and then perfect mathematical forms.
• How does Plato illustrate the form of the good?

  Plato illustrates the form of the good by comparing it to the sun, which allows us to know the world of forms.
• What is Aristotle's criticism of the form of the good?

  Aristotle argues that being virtuous is required to do good, not merely knowing what goodness is.
• What does Nietzsche say about the form of the good?

  Nietzsche called the form of the good a 'dangerous error' and claimed philosophers invent ideas to justify their emotional prejudices.
• Why do Aristotle and Nietzsche's arguments against the form of the good seem successful?

  Because a morally perfect person has never been observed in history, making Plato's concept seem unrealistic.
• What are Aristotle's four causes?


  The four causes are material, formal, efficient, and final causes.
• What does the material cause refer to?

  The material cause refers to what something is made of, such as the wood of a chair.
• What does the formal cause refer to?


  The formal cause refers to a thing's essence or defining characteristic, such as the shape of a chair.
• What does the efficient cause refer to?


  The efficient cause refers to what brought a thing into being, such as a carpenter for a chair.
• What does the final cause refer to?


  The final cause refers to the end goal or purpose of a thing, such as a chair being for sitting on.
• How does modern science view final causation (telos)?


  Modern science rejects final causation, believing the universe is made of atoms and forces without inherent purpose.
• What is Aristotle's prime mover theory?


  Aristotle's prime mover theory posits that there must be a prime mover causing the continuous motion we observe in the universe.
• How does Aristotle describe the prime mover?


  The prime mover is a pure mind that eternally thinks about itself and never changes, causing motion through attraction.
• What is the counterargument to Aristotle's prime mover theory based on Newton's findings?

  Newton argued that motion does not run out; it continues unless acted upon by an equal and opposite force, negating the need for a prime mover.
• How does modern science relate to Aristotle's method of gaining knowledge?

  Modern science uses Aristotle's empirical method of gaining knowledge from experience, even if some of his specific claims were incorrect.
• What is the significance of Aristotle's four causes in understanding change?


  The four causes provide a framework for understanding the change we experience in the world through empirical observation.
• What is the relationship between Aristotle's empirical method and modern scientific methods?


  Aristotle's empirical method laid the groundwork for modern scientific methods of gaining knowledge from experience.