I am predicted A* and have got A* in all of my mocks and have completed my A level exams in 2022.
These notes are 5-10 pages and include everything on the specification:
the philosophical views of Plato, in relation to:
* understanding of reality
* the Forms
* the analogy of the c...
• Allegory of the Cave Meanings:
Cave Visible world, our universe or your body
Man The philosopher, perhaps Socrates or Plato
Prisoners The rest of humanity who are unable to
understand the worlds of men who are
‘enlightened’
Shadows and What we perceive as the whole of our reality
Echoes ie all empirical knowledge
Outside The eternal and unchanging world (true
reality)
Sun Enlightenment and the perfect Form of the
Good
Journey out Towards enlightenment and escape from
bodily desires.
Journey in Philosopher’s attempt to explain his ideas to
others.
Background to the Allegory:
• Heraclitus: “You cannot step into the same river twice!” - knowledge is
always changing everything flows.
• Parmenides: Nothing changes. One unchanging thing = a perfect sphere.
• Plato combined these two philosophies with his doctrine of two worlds
(dualism)
• Plato and the Forms:
Summary of Plato’s theory:
• He had saved the possibility of knowing some things for certain
• He did this by placing a changeless world outside of the (changing)
physical world
• The reason you can know the unchanging world is because the real you is
unchanging.
What did Plato learn from Socrates?
1. The real me is a non-material soul which will survive death
, 2. The route to true knowledge is through your reason (not your senses)
“Follow the argument wherever it leads.”
3. Changeless ideas exist eg. Goodness, Justice, Beauty, Equality etc.
The World of Appearances (this world):
• For every Particular thing in the World of Appearances, there is a timeless
Absolute or Universal idea of it in the real World of Forms.
• Fused the philosophies of Heraclitus and Parmenides.
Participation - Relationship between the 2 worlds:
• The particular thing is real to the extent that it participates in the timeless,
absolute form of the thing.
• Eg. the philosopher king should make laws which participate in the form of
Justice.
• “Time is the moving image of eternity” - Plato ‘Timeus’
The Form of the Good:
• the highest form - top of the hierarchy
• “in a certain way the cause of all things” - Republic VII
• beyond all existing things
• often represented by the image of the sun: the sun makes things grow
- ‘causes’ them. the sun gives us light to see - to ‘know’
• illuminates all the other forms and gives them their value
• True knowledge = a knowledge of goodness.
• If someone knows what is good and what is bad, they will choose the good,
thus it is ignorance to the form of the good that causes immorality.
• links back to the Analogy of the Cave - The Form of the Good illuminates
the rest of our knowledge.
How Plato’s Theory relates to a person:
• The human body is like the cave as it is part of the world of
shadows, and because it is part of the world of shadows - it is not truly
real.
• The soul is real as it existed before birth in the World of Forms.
After death, the soul returns to the World of Forms whilst the body
ceases to exist completely.
• Soul is therefore more important and more real than the body.
• Socrates agreed with this and viewed death positively because he
believed that his soul would go to the World of Forms, death would not be
the end.
Support for Plato’s theory:
• Absolutes - the theory supports the idea that these exist eg morals, truth,
justice, goodness, equality beauty
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller sarahlanghart. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $13.06. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
