Essay Plan: 'Evaluate Plato's theory of the Forms.'
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Course
Philosophy of religion
Institution
OCR
Book
Oxford A Level Religious Studies for OCR
Essay plan containing arguments and counter-arguments for Plato's theory of the forms. I used this plan when writing an essay in class, for which I got 20/30 marks (B grade)
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Philosophy & Ethics: Chapter 1.1 – Exam question essay plan
Evaluate Plato’s theory of the Forms. (30 marks)
POSITIVES NEGATIVES
A demand for proof contradicts Plato’s whole No actual evidence or proof –
argument – he says that scientific evidence is empiricist/scientific argument
unreliable and unneeded – rationalist
argument. Other philosophers agree – Kant said Just based on reason
there are two realities the world of sense
experience (phenomenal world) and world of
things themselves (noumenal world)
Objects around us are being constantly eroded, The physical world can still be analysed and
so how can we gain accurate measurements? studied and we can learn many things from it,
Heraclitus “you can never step in the same river even if it is in state of flux. Maybe true
twice” knowledge is the very fact that everything is
changing. Aristotle.
Plato did not intend for his theory to be taken When pushed to the extremes, Plato’s
to the extremes – he focused mainly on the argument doesn’t hold up – abstract ideas are
abstract ideas somewhat acceptable, but are there really
Forms for dogs or phones?
We have a concept of perfection in our minds – Perfection is subjective – for example, people
eg, the perfect pair of shoes, perfection exists, have varying opinions on paintings and films
but just not in our world, it is not possible for
perfection to exist in the physical world if there
are differing opinions on the thing. Descartes
said concepts exist in the mind first
Everyone knows that things such as murder is The Form of the Good is nonsense – everybody
always bad, and things such as helping others is has their own idea of what is good and bad –
always good, we know it inherently relativist argument – A.J Ayer says our
emotional reaction to something leads us to
think of it as good or bad, we don’t have any
real knowledge
It makes sense that questioning your belief Plato was elitist and unfair in saying that those
through studying philosophy gives you more who study philosophy are the most moral in
knowledge of morals, Plato believed ignorance society, and that only they can reach
caused evil, so gaining knowledge counteracts eudaimonia – we don’t need to have a certain
this. about of knowledge to know what is right, and
those who are highly intelligent are not always
moral
Some people do wrong because of ignorance – Plato is wrong in saying that we do wrong
for example, one could argue that hate crimes because we are ignorant – people know it’s
occur because the perpetrator genuinely wrong but do it anyway – Plato was too
believes his ideology is correct optimistic about humans
--- Aristotle argued that things do not have to be
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