The Forms by Ali Chapman

Forms

chapmana1 — 2014-12-03 19:40:15 UTC

- Sometimes called the 'ideals' - We all have a dim recollection of the forms from a prior existence - Our soul is eternal before it becomes tied to our bodies - Real world is unchanging - Visible world is constantly changing

Plato rejects art (pale imitation) - Prefers maths

Form - the essence of the object Particulars - the details of the object

Hierachy of Forms

chapmana1 — 2014-12-03 19:40:33 UTC

Fixed order of importance

1) The Form of the Good

2) Unviersal Qualities

3) Concepts and Ideals

4) Physical living objects

5) Physical inanimate objects

Idea of the Forms

chapmana1 — 2014-12-03 21:04:56 UTC

- Most things conform to a form except number and evil - Some forms are greater than others - Once you understand the good, you can understand the other forms as they are aspects of goodness.

The Form of the Good

chapmana1 — 2014-12-03 21:10:31 UTC

- Illuminates the other forms - Further away you get, the paler things become - Highest knowledge a human is capable of - Have to understand it, to understand forms

STRENGTHS

chapmana1 — 2014-12-03 21:19:21 UTC

- Dim recollection - Hierarchy is prtrayed in society (E.g. jobs, royalty) - Explains why we all recognise the same aspects in things - Encourages to not accept things at face value)

WEAKNESSES

chapmana1 — 2014-12-03 21:26:50 UTC

- Senses are 'inferior' yet we've relied on them for 1000s of years - Must be forms of unpleasant things such as slugs and cancer - Therefore it is logically impossible for them to have forms because they're imperfections - No evidence to suggest they exist (can't get to them) - Infinate regression (A form of a form of a form)