Summary
Summary notes of AQA A-Level Philosophy
- Institution
- AQA
Philosophy notes covering all the key philosophers, theories, and teachings students need for their exams. There is a key to make these notes easy to follow and understand!
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Key:Keywords
Books/quotes
Possible essay questions
,1.1 - Ancient Philosophical Influences
pg 10-38
Rationalist- someone who believes that the primary source of knowledge is reason
Empiricist- someone who thinks that the primary source of knowledge is experience gained by the five
senses
WOTF- World of the forms in shorthand as I am lazy
PM- The prime mover
Actuality- This is the act of being
Socrates
This philosopher used questioning to expose ignorance as it forced people to admit, he encouraged critical
questioning of commonly held assumptions so that he could uncover the truth.
Plato
- Plato was the student of socrates
- The teacher of aristotle
- His teachings are found in ‘The Republic’
Plato noticed that the physical world is always changing and that nothing stays the same. Plato discussed
the ideas that we cannot attain certain knowledge if objects are never the same.
Plato believed that we recognise an aspect of something such as the circularity of a circle because we have
seen them in the world of the forms previously as our souls were there but when the circle was translated
physically it loses its perfection. The only perfect circle lives in the world of the forms, the only way we can
gain our knowledge is to accept the world of the forms. The perfect circle for example is superior compared
to the ones that are in the physical world because they are always changing.
Plato mainly focused on the form of beauty, kindness etc rather than the forms of actual things.
The form of the good:
Plato said that the different forms are related to each other and are arranged in a hierarchy.
The most important form is the form of the good as it gives all the other forms their value. For
example justice, wisdom, courage and even beauty are all aspects of goodness therefore they
are higher forms but are not as good as the form of goodness itself. Goodness is seen as the
purest most abstract form, the forms lower down on the hierarchy are closest to the material
object.
We recognise any goodness because we understand how they correspond to our initial
knowledge, true knowledge for Plato is the knowledge of goodness.
Plato believed that someone who knows what is good and what is bad they will do good as it is only
ignorance that causes immorality, for example people who lie are ignorant of the forms of honesty.
Plato's demiurge:
Plato believed that the world was created by a god called the Demiurge, he has written about this in his
book called ‘Timaeus’. In this book he describes as good (compared to the form of the good) and desires
the best for humanity, the demiurge is described to have created the world out of limited materials but it is
never going to be perfect as it is changeable (a physical world).
2
,The analogy of the cave:
1. The prisoners have been there since childhood and
haven’t seen anything but the cave so they are
unable to distinguish between reality and
appearance.
2. When the prisoners are released the experience will
be painful.
3. As the prisoners adjust to a new life their wisdom will
grow and then they will begin to recognise the
importance of the sun illuminating all other
knowledge.
4. When the prisoners step out of the cave and start to
accept our reality.
The sun represents the forms of the good, the cave is our reality and outside represents the world of the
forms.
Plato wants the reader to understand:
- The relationship between the world of the forms and the material world
- The way in which physical concerns can blind what is important (values such as kindness and good).
- The ignorance of humanity when people don't engage in philosophy/question.
- There is another world which we cannot see from the position we are in
- The hostility felt when people are faced with philosophical problems (like the prisoners felt when they
were released).
Advantages and disadvantages of the cave analogy:
Advantage Disadvantage
● It helps us understand that there are ● It is impossible to prove Plato's theory.
imperfections in the world. ● The idea that everything we see is an illusion of
● It encourages us to think about everything, value sorts is absurd and unbelievable as there is no
and uses. proof of this.
● The analogy explains the world in a metaphorical ● Plato assumes that the prisoners will not want to
way which is easy for some people to return to the cave but they may not like the outside
understand. world of the forms and go back to the cave.
● People could argue that everything around us is
not evil and wrong just because it changes.
3
, Advantage and disadvantage for the concept of the world of the forms:
Advantage Disadvantage
● The theory kind of explains why we recognise the ● Plato suggests that we recognise the world of the
same things as the same item e.g we all know a forms due to our former existence in the WOTF
chair is a chair even though there are many but there is no proof of that.
different forms of a chair. ● It is unbelievable that there are perfect forms of
● The theory can help people understand the everything e.g a bus ticket even the perfect form of
imperfections and evil around the world which beauty which is subjective.
can link to some religious beliefs.
● The forms can help us learn to question the
things around us so that we can find the more
‘perfect’ form of something.
Aristotle:
Aristotle used the world around us as a key to our knowledge, he rejected the WORD and thought that
nothing could be gained by believing in it.
The four causes:
Material cause- This is what something it is made of.
Formal cause- This is the shape of an item and the form it has and why it has it.
Efficient cause- This is the person it was made by.
Final cause- This is the reason for it existing and once that has happened it has fulfilled the cause.
E.g:
The prime mover:
Aristotle says that the PM was the first of all substances. The PM causes movement and change in all other
things. The prime mover does nothing and is actuality in itself.
4
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 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 MBlake247. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
62774 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 15 years now