Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Plato Summary
- The Forms
- 2 worlds:
Appearances (this
world) & Reality (the
Forms)
- Characteristics:
- Transendent
- Unchanging
- Perfect
- Archetypes for things that physically exist
- Immortal
- The Form of Good
- Highest Form
- Source and origin of the Other Forms
- Knowledge of the Form of Good is intrinsic other
knowledge, i.e. knowledge is not morally/ ethically
neutral
- Criticisms of the Forms
- No convincing reasons to suppose the Forms exist
- Forms could just be ideas in the mind
- Unclear link between Forms and the physical world of appearances
- No proof that the World of Forms exists
- Aristotle's 3rd man argument
- The Cave
- Tied up prisoners- people trapped in
the physical world of appearances
- Fire and shadows- imitations and copies of the Forms
- World above ground= World of Forms
- Sun= form of good, by which other forms are known
- Cave simile: illustrates the theory of the Forms
- The Demiurge
- Literally 'public worker'
- Artisan/ Artist/ Craftsman who makes the visible, tangible world
- The World is the copy of its eternal form
- The world is less than the eternal Forms
- Analysis of the Demiurge
- No reason to suggest that this is the cause of the World/ universe
- Judo-Christian concept of God= different because God creates ex nihilo,
creation= example of God's providence, and nothing is higher/ greater
than God