2. Plato's Understanding of Reality
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into Plato's philosophy, emphasizing his belief in an eternal, immutable truth accessible only through reason, not the senses. Plato's rationalism posits that the physical world is imperfect and unreliable, contrasting sharply with the realm of forms—a world of truth and unchanging reality. The video explores Plato's theory of innate knowledge, suggesting that learning is a process of recollection from a prior existence. It also touches on his dualist view, where the soul, not the body, seeks truth, and the philosopher's pursuit of knowledge as a form of spiritual practice.
Takeaways
- 😇 Plato believed that truth is eternal, unchanging, and perfect, which is the basis of knowledge.
- 🤔 He distinguished between knowledge and opinion, with the latter being transient, changeable, and imperfect.
- 👀 Plato argued that our senses are unreliable and the physical world is full of change and decay, making it unsuitable for finding truth.
- 🔍 He rejected the idea of Pyrrhonism, which claims that truth can be discovered through sensory experience.
- 🧠 Plato advocated for rationalism, suggesting that truth is discoverable through reason and logical thinking, leading to a priori knowledge.
- 📚 He introduced the concept of innate rationalism, proposing that all truths are inherent within us from birth as part of our rational nature.
- 🔑 Plato's 'Meno's Paradox' illustrates that learning is a process of recollection, not the acquisition of new knowledge.
- 📐 The 'slave boy' example in the Meno dialogue demonstrates how innate knowledge can be revealed through questioning.
- 🌐 Plato posited the existence of the intelligible realm of forms, an eternal reality where truth resides, as opposed to the changing empirical world.
- 🧘 He was a dualist, asserting that the non-physical soul is the part of us that pre-existed and seeks truth, hindered by the physical body.
- 💀 Philosophy, for Plato, was akin to practicing death, as it allows the soul to be free from the body's distractions and grasp the truth.
Q & A
What is Plato's view on the nature of truth?
-Plato argued that truth is eternal, everlasting, immutable, meaning unchanging and perfect. He believed that this must be the case because knowledge pertains to that which does not change.
How does Plato differentiate between knowledge and opinion?
-Plato drew a clear distinction between knowledge and opinion. Unlike truth, opinion is transient, fleeting, mutable, and imperfect. He noticed that our senses are unreliable, leading to the conclusion that truth cannot be found in the empirical world.
What is Plato's stance on the physical empirical world and its relation to truth?
-Plato believed that the physical empirical world, which we perceive with our senses, is full of change and decay and therefore cannot be the source of truth. He rejected the idea that truth can be discovered by our sense experience of the world.
How does Plato's view on the senses impact his epistemology?
-Plato argued that our senses are unreliable and can lead to inaccurate perceptions, such as in the example of optical illusions. This led him to conclude that we cannot trust our senses to find truth.
What is the concept of a priori knowledge according to Plato?
-Plato argued that truth must be discoverable by reason, which he called a priori knowledge. This is knowledge gained through thinking things through in a rational or logical way, as opposed to empirical knowledge derived from the senses.
What is the argument from deduction that Plato uses to argue against the physical world as a source of truth?
-Plato's argument from deduction starts with the definition of truth as immutable and eternal, then moves to the definition of the physical world as changeable and imperfect, concluding that truth cannot be found in the physical world.
What is innate rationalism, and how does Plato argue for it?
-Innate rationalism is the belief that all truths are innate, meaning they are within us from birth as part of our rational nature. Plato argued for this by suggesting that we have an innate understanding of concepts like absolute beauty and true goodness, which we can recollect through reason.
Can you explain the example of the slave boy in Plato's Meno dialogue?
-In the Meno dialogue, Plato uses the example of the slave boy to illustrate how geometrical truths can be discovered through a series of questions asked by Socrates. The boy demonstrates knowledge of geometry without having been taught, suggesting that he is recollecting innate knowledge.
What does Plato mean by the 'intelligible realm of the forms'?
-The 'intelligible realm of the forms' is Plato's term for a world of truth and unchanging reality, which is the object of knowledge. He believed that this realm is the source of our innate knowledge and is separate from the empirical, changing world of our senses.
What is Plato's divided line, and what does it represent?
-Plato's divided line represents the separation between the realm of opinion and the realm of truth. It is a metaphorical line that divides the empirical visible world, which is full of illusion and appearance, from the intelligible realm of the forms, which is the world of truth and reality.
How does Plato's view on the soul relate to his epistemology and ontology?
-Plato believed that the soul, being non-physical and unaffected by change and decay, is the part of us that pre-existed and can recollect truth. This belief in the soul's pre-existence and its capacity to grasp truth supports his epistemological and ontological claims about the nature of knowledge and reality.
Outlines
📚 Plato's Theory of Knowledge and Reality
This paragraph introduces Plato's philosophy, focusing on his concept of reality and the role of reason over sensory perception. Plato posited that truth is eternal, unchanging, and perfect, and that knowledge is distinct from opinion, which is transient and imperfect. He criticized the empirical world for its constant change and decay, arguing that our senses are unreliable. Plato advocated for rationalism, suggesting that truth is discovered through reason, leading to a priori knowledge. He also introduced the concept of innate rationalism, proposing that all truths are inherent from birth and can be recollected through Socratic questioning, as illustrated by the example of the slave boy in the Meno dialogue.
🌐 Plato's Realms of Existence and Dualism
The second paragraph delves into Plato's ontological claims, contrasting the immutable and eternal 'Forms' or 'Ideas' in the intelligible realm with the changing, sensory world of appearances. Plato's divided line separates opinion from truth, with the intelligible realm being the domain of knowledge and the empirical world that of opinion. He further argues that the soul, being unchanging, is the part of us that pre-existed and seeks truth, while the physical body is a hindrance. Plato's dualism is evident in his belief in both physical and non-physical existence, with the philosopher's goal being to detach from bodily pleasures and focus on the soul's pursuit of truth. The ultimate aim is for the soul to grasp truth in its purest form after death, when it is free from the body.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Reality
💡Reason
💡Truth
💡Opinion
💡A Priori Knowledge
💡Innate Rationalism
💡Recollection
💡Forms
💡Divided Line
💡Dualism
💡Philosopher
Highlights
Plato's understanding of reality emphasizes the eternal, unchanging, and perfect nature of truth.
Plato distinguishes between knowledge and opinion, with knowledge being unchanging and opinion being transient and mutable.
The physical world is seen as full of change and decay, making it unreliable for finding truth.
Plato argues that our senses are unreliable, as demonstrated by optical illusions.
Plato rejects Pyrrhus ISM, asserting that truth cannot be discovered by our senses but by reason.
Plato introduces the concept of a priori knowledge, which is gained through rational and logical thinking.
Plato's argument for rationalism is structured as a deductive argument, starting with definitions and leading to a conclusion.
Plato argues for innate rationalism, suggesting that all truths are in us from birth and are part of our rational nature.
The example of the slave boy in Plato's Meno illustrates the process of recollection of innate knowledge.
Plato's epistemological claims lead to ontological claims about the existence of an intelligible realm of forms.
Plato's divided line represents the separation between the world of opinion and the world of truth.
The non-physical soul is the part of us that can grasp truth, as it is unaffected by change and decay.
Plato's dualism separates the physical body from the non-physical soul, with the body hindering the soul's pursuit of truth.
The true philosopher, according to Plato, would despise bodily pleasures and focus on the soul's pursuit of truth.
Plato describes philosophy as practicing for death, where the soul is free to grasp truth without the body's interference.
Plato's philosophy has a significant impact on the understanding of knowledge, reality, and the pursuit of truth.
Transcripts
this is the first video on Plato and
it's all about his understanding of
reality his reliance on reason as
opposed to the senses Plato argued that
truth is eternal everlasting immutable
that means unchanging and perfect he
said this must be the case because
knowledge pertains to that which is
doesn't change
he drew a clear distinction between
knowledge and opinion unlike truth
opinion is transient it's fleeting it
doesn't last
it is also mutable meaning it's
changeable and end it is imperfect
Plato noticed but unlike truth the
physical empirical world which we see
around us with our senses is full of
change and decay
you also notice that our senses are
unreliable he said we neither hair and
or see anything accurately we can see
this in the example of an optical
illusion so if you have a look at the
squares it looks at first glance that's
square a and square B are very different
colors whereas actually if we were to
draw a line of color between them we can
see that's in fact they are exactly the
same color that our perception of the
color is inaccurate in the way that we
perceive it so we can't trust our senses
Plato argued that for this reason truth
cannot be found in our empirical world
you therefore rejected and Pyrrhus ISM
which is the claim that truth can be
discovered by our sense experience of
the world he said this method can only
form opinions how could any rational man
affirm the identity of the infallible
meaning the perfect with the fallible
meaning the imperfect that which is is
knowable he said something other than
that which is would be a pie noble
meaning something you can only have an
opinion about instead Plato argued truth
must be discoverable by reason that
means thinking things through in a
rational or logical way knowledge gained
in this way is called a priori knowledge
so if we recap Plato's argument for
rationalism we can look at it in this
way
the first premise is that truth is found
in perfect immutable and eternal the
second premise the physical world is not
perfect immutable
and eternal and the conclusion truth is
not found in the physical world the type
of argument used here is an argument
from deduction he's starting with the
definition of truth he's then moving to
a definition of the physical world and
from those two definitions he's
concluding that truth cannot be found in
the physical world so this argument
looks like the conclusion foolish
premises that would make it valid and
then we also need to question whether
the premises are true in order to see if
it is a sound argument which we will do
later on in another video play to argue
for a very specific kind of rationalism
called innate rationalism he argued that
all truths are innate in other words
they are in us at least from birth and
are part of our rational nature so for
example even though we haven't
experienced things like absolute beauty
or true goodness in the world because
these things are perfect and the things
we see in the world or not we all have
an innate understanding of what these
concepts mean so we understand the idea
of absolute beauty and we understand the
idea of complete goodness whenever we
learn something Plato argued that we are
simply recalling these truths from
within experiences we have might trigger
this self discovery but they don't
actually give us any additional
knowledge he said we must reject the
conception of Education professed by
those who say they can put into mind
knowledge that was not there before this
is a capacity which is innate we do not
learn and what we call learning is only
a process of a recollection Plato gives
the example of the slave boy in one of
his dialogues called Kamino he shows in
the Meno how the slave boy is able to
discover geometrical truths through
Socrates asking him a series of
questions he does not give him any new
information so Socrates was the teacher
of Plato Plato used him as a character
in his dialogues to put forward his own
views we read observe closely whether he
strikes you as recollecting or as
learning for me Tony boy do you know
what a square figure is like this
Socrates draws in the sand and continues
to ask questions now watch his progress
and recollecting Socrates says by the
proper use of the memory he will go on
and discover something by joint inquiry
with me while I nearly ask questions and
do not teach him Socrates continues to
ask questions and the slave boy
demonstrates knowledge of geometry
through his answers without anyone
having taught him Socrates says and only
through questions put to him he will
understand recovering the knowledge out
of himself and is not this recovery of
knowledge in himself and by himself
recollection
Plato's epistemological claims his
claims about knowledge lead him to make
some very extreme claims about
what exists about ontology Plato argued
that our innate knowledge must have come
from a prior existence because we can
only recollect what we have either once
acquired or always had Socrates points
out that the slave boy could not have
acquired his knowledge in this life as
no one has ever taught him since trees
have been with us in lately since birth
we must have grasped them in some
previous existence and carried them with
us is it not obvious at once Socrates
asks that he had them and learnt them
during some other time Plato argued that
whenever we come to know something we
are recognizing or remembering some
truth that we've learned before this
life and which has always been in us
remember Plato believed that the
definition of truth was that which is
immutable and eternal so this prior
existence can't have been in a reality
like our own it must have been in an
eternal reality a realm unaffected by
change and decay and Plato called Israel
the intelligible realm of the forms a
world of truth and unchanging reality
which is the object of knowledge Plato
characterized the empirical visible
world on the other hand as one of
illusion and appearance the changing
world of sensation which is the object
of opinion he argued that the two realms
could be clearly separated by a line
divided and this has come to be known as
Plato's divided line between opinion and
truth Saito's ontological claims don't
stop there he says the only part of us
unaffected by change in decay is the
non-physical soul because our bodies
change and they decay so it must be the
soul that pre-existed and wreck Lex
truth belief in both physical and a
non-physical existence makes Plato a
duelist
the physical body he said hinders the
recollection of truth by the soul its
companionship disturbs the soul and
hinders it from attaining truth Plato
argued that because of this the true
philosopher would despise the so-called
pleasures of the body avoiding so far as
it can all Association or contact with
the body and instead concern himself
with the soul which reaches out toward
the reality Plato described doing
philosophy as practicing dying at death
the body is separated from the soul and
the soul exists alone free to grasp
truth which is the aim of the
philosopher this video has been brought
to you by jest education thank you for
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