plato's theory of forms, and the sun, line and cave
DESCRIPTION
Some powerpoint slides introducing students to an overall picture of Plato's philosophical position. Includes analogy with the Matrix to instigate thinking on appearance & reality plus graphical/video representations of the similes of the Sun, Line and Cave.TRANSCRIPT
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Plato’s Theory of Forms, and the Sun, Line and
Cave
A falasafaz! presentation
2
Plato
What is justice?What is the ideal state?What is the human soul?What is knowledge?What is reality?
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Understanding Plato
• How does Plato understand the nature of reality?
• What is the relationship between existence, knowledge, and virtue?
• How successful are Plato’s Sun, Line & Cave similes?
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Plato’s overall position
• Metaphysics (Reality)
• Epistemology (Knowledge)
• Ethics (Good)
THE THEORY OF
FORMS
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What is real?
RealityAppearance
• Sensations• Empirically
observable data
• Particular examples of ‘X’
• Beyond senses
• Mind/reason• ‘The Forms’• ‘The X-in-
itself’
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The Forms
Particular beautiful things
BEAUTY-ITSELF
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The Similes/Allegories
The SunRepublic Bk VI 507a
The Divided Line
Republic Bk VI 509d
The CaveRepublic Bk VII 514a
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The Sun
Source The Sun The (Form of the) Good
Provides what? Light, growth Reality, truth – ‘light of
reason’
Where? Sensible world Intelligible World
In order to… See Know
With what? Objects i.e. ‘particulars’ FORMS
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The Divided Line
Objects Epistemic States
Forms
Physical Objects
Shadows / Images
Dialectic
Belief
A
B
C
D
Mathematical Reasoning
Illusion
Inte
lligib
le R
ealm
Vis
ible
Realm
KN
OW
LED
GE
OPIN
ION
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Evaluating Plato
• What are the similes meant to achieve? How successful are they?
• What are Plato’s arguments? How persuasive are they?
• What objections can we identify and develop?
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