Philosophy Matrix II
Ancient Quest for Truth
Philosophy Matrix II: Ancient Quest for Truth
Use the matrix to analyze Plato and Aristotle's theory of knowledge and apply both to current day practices.
In the first column, using the readings about Plato's search for truth and his theories of knowledge, discuss how contemporary people may be living in a cave and which steps, based on Plato's model of the Divided Line, will be necessary for their enlightenment.
In the next column, based on Aristotle's science of the first philosophy, analyze how Aristotle's metaphysics may guide contemporary people to knowledge about the world.
In the final fields, evaluate how you use either or both of the methods in your own life and explain how Plato and Aristotle used pre-Socratic philosophy.
Cite your sources consistent with APA guidelines.
Plato
Aristotle
In 250 to 500 words, using the readings about Plato's search for truth, and his theories of knowledge, discuss how contemporary people may be living in a cave and which steps, based on Plato's model of the Divided Line, will be necessary for their enlightenment.
In 250 to 500 words, based on Aristotle's science of the first philosophy, analyze how Aristotle's metaphysics may guide contemporary people to knowledge about the world.
Plato's search for the truth is ultimately focused on reason. Plato believed that everything constantly changes and that nothing in the world of senses is eternal (Plato, 2012, p. 200). As a result, only those things that humans grasp by reason can be eternal. Consequently, if a person sees (using his senses) a cube, he/she can only accurately say that it resembles a cube; he/she cannot certainly know that it is a perfect cube; however, with accurate measurements (reason), he/she can know for a fact that it is a perfect cube (Plato, 2012, p. 165). Plato's reason occurs in the spiritual world including our souls, rather than the sensual world of our bodies. Plato believed that souls existed in the spiritual world and looked alike before being placed in our physical bodies (Plato, 2012, p. 143); however, when observed in our physical world of the senses, souls can become imperfect or be distorted, causing souls to yearn to return to the spiritual realm of reason (Plato, 2012, p. 184).
For Plato, knowledge of the unchanging is possible only through the world of becoming, the world of the body; however, the soul "recollects" because it resides in the world of the unchanging pure forms. Obviously, attaining knowledge presents a problem because the mind must somehow learn in the ephemeral, distorted world. For Plato, the mind must be trained so it can absorb the unchanging behind the changing; at that point, knowledge is possible. For Plato, in order to acquire knowledge, one must have the name, the definition and the image, in that order. Knowledge is the fourth "thing," and the object itself, the knowable and truly real being, is the fifth "thing" (Plato, 2012, pp. 137-8)
Plato's cave is an allegory for eikasia or "imagining" (Cornford, 1945, p. 222) in which the unenlightened and untrained mind sees shadows rather than real objects but believes the shadows are the reality, and "takes sensible appearances and current moral notions at their face value" (Cornford, 1945, p. 222). The easiest examples of contemporary people living in Plato's cave would be children. Using Plato's analogy of the "divided line," segmented according to 4 stages of cognition (Plato, 2012, p. 119): the untrained mind of the child, seeing only shadows and believing they are reality, is in eikasia; with training about the reality of visible/tangible things, the child is able to attain the stage in which he/she may follow correct morals without real knowledge but through belief, called pistis; through further training in mathematics and moral philosophy, the child may attain a certain level of understanding that is not perfect...
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