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OCR Religious Studies: Philosophy - Ancient Philosophy Notes
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OCR Religious Studies (Philosophy) Detailed Notes for the topic Ancient Philosophy Allows you to achieve an A*
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PHILOSOPHYANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
PLATO’S INFLUENCES
1. Socrates
Was Plato’s informal mentor – Plato mentions Socrates in most of his books
‘The Socratic method’ – The method of philosophical reasoning which involves
critical questioning– still used today for example in counselling
2. Pythagoras
Made a sharp distinction between the material body and the spiritual soul
Influenced Plato’s theory of the Forms
3. Heraclitus
‘No man can step in the same river twice’ – explains that everything changes and
nothing stays the same
Plato did not agree – for him there had to be things fixed and certain which led to his
idea of another unchanging world
WHO WAS PLATO?
Absolutist – Ethical belief that there are absolute standards and that certain action
are right or wrong, regardless of the context of the act
The world is in a constant state of flux/change
For Plato, this means the world of sense experience cannot be trusted as things
are constantly changing – True knowledge cannot be found in the empirical
world
However, Plato thought there must be something that was fixed and
unchanging – so there must be another world of absolutes
Rationalist – Belief that knowledge is based on the use of reason. We use our minds
to remember info that has been part of us since birth because our soul has been in
the spiritual world (innate knowledge)
Plato believed that knowledge should be based on reason, not experiences
We can ‘work out’ the true nature of reality using our mind alone
This will provide us with knowledge that is both certain and clear
Dualist – The belief that the soul and the body are two separate entities
The material world of the body is constantly changing whereas the spiritual
world is fixed
He thought reality can be divided into two; the physical world of phenomena and
the idea, or conceptual, a world of the Forms
His mentor was Socrates
Plato’s Key Ideas:
1. Think more don’t just go along with popular opinions (doxa)
2. Let your lover change you – They should possess something you don’t have so that
they make you better
3. Decode the message of beauty – beautiful objects are whispering to us important
truths about the good life eg generosity and harmony
4. Reform society – How can a society get better at producing fulfilled people. Good
heroes to guard the people’s development
THE ANAOLGY OF THE CAVE
, PHILOSOPHY
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
Plato’s cave’s symbolisms…
Cave = The world of illusions
Prisoners = People who are trapped by their limited understanding of the world (us)
Chains = Things that limit us (eg senses)
Objects = Images of the forms
Shadows = Our perception of what is ‘real’
Puppet master = People who are not truly enlightened but want power and control
(media/politicians), stop people from searching for truth
Fire = Dim, unenlightened light for most of us
Free man = Philosophers
Outside world = Reality, world of the Forms
Sun = Highest Form of Good – controls other forms
INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CAVE
1. A criticism of our everyday lives
People are chained to superficialities
We are unaware that we are living with illusions, superficial knowledge, and false &
conflicting ideals
Our lives are dominated by the shadows on the walls – made by newspaper
headlines, radio broadcasts…
2. An allegory of despair and hope
We live in a time of loss of meaning and commitment, of crumbling standards of
truth and morality, a corruption in political life and decline in personal integrity –
This is our despair
There is hope of ascending to truth and values which are the best we can know as
guides us to the good life
For us, the first step is to recognise the current illusions for what they are so we can
exit
3. A political allegory
The life is the cave is the life of politics
Politicians resemble the puppeteer who cast or control what we should and
shouldn’t see
The leaders and the public are ignorant and corrupt without the true knowledge of
themselves or the world
Those who have gotten out of the cave, are those to be the philosopher kings of
society
4. A criticism of much of the science of our time
There is too much emphasis on what is known via the senses
Science too, is chained so that it can only see shadows
Its basis is in sensory observations
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