Plato’s theory of forms is unconvincing discuss Plato was a duellist and thus believed that there are two worlds; the material world and the world of ideas/Forms. The world of ideas or Forms is the true reality and the world of appearances is just reflections of world of Forms. Plato believed that our knowledge of the Forms was a priori which means that our souls knew the Forms before it was inside us, therefore we have knowledge prior to experiencing the objects with our senses. Plato believes everyone is born with an intuitive but imperfect understanding of the Forms. He also believes the philosopher is able, through using his intellect, to achieve true knowledge of the abstract Forms without using his senses.
A quote by Albert Einstein “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” one of the most influential people discussing limitations on the rational mind. The argument between empiricism and rationalism seems to be a back and forth battle between a bunch of old guys arguing about which came first the chicken or the egg. Although when they were brought together is when it seems to make the most sense. For rationalism we have the belief that reason is the primary source of all knowledge, only reason itself can give meaning to experience and separate reality from illusion. To understand truth we must be completely sure of it, this requires a rational method of inquiry based on doubt.
Instead, he views rhetoric as the method of creating the truth without deception and creating truth with people’s own view. Rhetoric is an approach to truth – the method of approaching truth and the process of convincing and persuading someone’s opinion to one’s own idea of truth. This is considered as academic rhetoric. The rhetoric in Aristotle and Plato’s dialogue is to create some legitimate kind of truth that force human into truth, and to create truth in your view or the persuasion that argue to bring
He explains that the strong can only be powerful when they make just choices, otherwise they will be overthrown by a united majority. Plato, and Socrates, introduces the idea that knowledge exists for the benefit of others, and that justice is no different. Therefore, rulers must exist to benefit others, or else they will rule no more. The Republic goes on to show many more examples throughout text, including why justice benefits the weak as well. Socrates argues that justice, when defined properly, is not subjective nor does it benefit only one group of people.
For example, the term “human” names the eternal existing Form of the human. Plato’s first argument for the Forms can be considered an epistemological argument. Plato claims that: knowledge is enduring, and a true rational belief based on instruction. He says we do have knowledge, but that it cannot be about the world of the senses (because the senses can deceive); therefore it must be about an eternal world. This enduring world is the world of the Forms.
What is Reality? Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or may be thought to be. In its widest definition, reality includes everything that is and has being, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. Historically, philosophers have sometimes considered reality to include nonexistent things in a sense referred to as subsistence, as well. By contrast existence is often restricted solely to being (compared with nature).
Death, in Socrates’ mind is a separation of the soul from the body. The body is a distraction in that it has needs and desires which must be attained to when alive, such as food, water, and shelter. He believes that the body is incapable of discovering the truth and that action is the purpose of the soul itself. A body and its immortal soul are separate, and only when the soul is separated from the body from death is it able to reason by itself. A philosopher’s ideal state is when his/her soul is relieved of its bodily duties and can gain true knowledge.
The Culmination: A Twist on Self In “Responsibility for Self,” Charles Taylor articulates an account of the self that is a critical synthesis of Sartre, Frankfurt, and Heidegger views. Articulated below will be Taylor’s account of the self and how it developed from the other philosophers’ views. Taylor sees many virtues, as well as, problems contained within Sartre’s, Frankfurt’s, and Heidegger’s account of self and agency. A natural place to begin is with Charles Taylor’s concept of “responsibility for self.” For Taylor, responsibility for self consists in duty of radical re-evaluation of our deepest held belief: This radical evaluation is a deep reflection, and a self-reflection in a special sense: it is a reflection about the self, its most fundamental issues, and a reflection which engages the self most wholly and deeply. Because it engages the whole self without a fixed yardstick it can be called a personal reflection….
I will begin by recounting the demographic structures that are present in Plato’s “Just” state, and by exploring his epistemological and metaphysical claims, highlight the impossibility of such a ruler. Plato sets the stage for his Philosopher King by first laying down the foundations of his “Just” city. He does this by defining a series of classes that comprise the state; the producing class, the auxiliary class, and the ruling class. The Producing class is responsible for producing both necessary and non-necessary items, the Auxiliary class for defense, and the Ruling class for ruling the state. Along with this assigning of roles, Plato describes the make-up of the human soul and how that predisposes certain people to be placed in one of these three classes.
At the same time, however, our personal set of opinions control how we see things around us. We are the ones that are given the choice of what is being seen and what is believed. Empiricism began with John Locke who attacked Cartesian idea that reason alone could provide us with knowledge. Locke came out with the term of “Tabula Rasa.” It means that the mind comes into life blank, or empty and is written on by experience. Later, Philosopher Hume came out with his version of the “tabula rasa” principle, the copy theory of ideas.