Evaluating Platos thought. Why do you think Plato had followers who believed what he said?

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Philosophy and Ethics

Mr Walls

24/09/12

Plato evaluation

“What a beautiful flower!” It is not beautiful it comes from the form of beauty.

“Aren’t those Athenian politicians wonderful?” No they are as much slaves as you are, they are constantly deceiving you. Philosophers should lead the country.

“I saw a wonderful film at the weekend.” It is not real.

Evaluating Plato’s thought.

Why do you think Plato had followers who believed what he said?

Strengths of the World of the Forms

Plato’s theory of the forms helps us to explain why we can recognise similar things. Ultimately it explains why anything exists at all – Everything is a particular with a corresponding form - Argument from Knowledge.

Mathematics and the peasant boy

Plato once asked a peasant about a number of questions about complex mathematical problems and the boy was led to solve the problems by Plato’s questioning. This would suggest that the boy’s soul “remembered” the form of the problem from its time in the world of the forms.

It is consistent with an ever changing wold

It gives someone the possibility to know things for sure in an ever changing world.

Strengths of the Analogy of the Cave

It seems that the analogy of the cave could be applied to today’s world of diversion, computer games and television.

Join now!

Some people know more about the soaps than they know about what is happening in the world.

Weakness of the Analogy of the Cave

Plato compares desires with shadows and truth and virtue with light. But h fails to see how appealing desires can be for people.

Maybe the prisoner who was released might have preferred the shadows.

Weaknesses of the World of the Forms

What if it doesn’t exist? There is no way to prove that there is a world of the forms and even if there was, Plato wouldn’t accept it because he would reject any ...

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