RE Notes: Philosophy
,Ancient Philosophy: Plato Cave analogy
• A student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. • The Cave: The psychical world of experience w
• Wrote 20 books and used analogies to explain life born, live and die.
and how it works. • Prisoner: Normal people who experience the wo
• Idealist- believes in order and harmony, morality they experience as reality.
and self denial. • Shadows: Things that we see in the world throu
• Believes in the immortality of the soul and virtues senses.
of reality. • The puppets/forms: Ideas we recognise in thing
• Used dialogues instead of writing it down. truth and beauty.
• Plato could answer Socrates questions e.g. what is• The jagged path: The journey of philosophers f
virtue and how can we know this? ignorance to knowledge.
• Believed that philosophers were an elite group who• The sun: Philosophical truth, knowledge and fo
could only find true knowledge or form of good. • Prisoners reaction: Is what the philosophers sh
Theory of forms when they have new knowledge.
• Forms are objects of knowledge. Form of good
• The material world is changing, the real world is • Cannot be clearly explained and allows you to
unchanged. other forms as it gives things purpose.
• We live In a world of senses. • Humans must pursue good, they do this with
• One form can change to make other forms as they philosophical thinking.
all have the same first form. • The forms we perceive do not come from our
• The world is split into intelligible and visible. from intelligence.
• Only people who question things can understand • Examples of forms of good are: justice, truth,
the truth behind the illusion. and beauty.
• Philosophers can think indifferent from their • The sun is at the top of the hierarchy of forms
senses. • Sun analogy- it gives light so we can see obje
• “An unexamined life is a life not worth living.” without it things in the material world would d
, Aristotle Four Causes
• Key question is: What is Material cause: 2. The efficient cause:
being? The raw material something is How does it happen?
• His book is called
madeuses
of. The thing that made it.
metaphysics.
The materials don’t describe the Uses
• This includes: question of
being, becoming, existence object. resources to make something
and reality.
• Nature is cause and purpose. 3. The formal cause: 4. The final cause:
• He believed the physical world Shape/characteristics of somethi What is it for?
is a key to knowledge. ng. What is the purpose/telos?
• The senses are a gateway to Helps identify object. Most important cause. The pu
intelligence. Then we ca put it it significance.
• He is an empiricist an plato his into categories. Telos means end, a means to
teacher is a rationalist. If an object fills its purpose th
• Fascinated by the nature of it is good.
things and why they exist.
Prime mover
• You never step in the same river twice.
• The prime mover is telos and is not subject to change.
• The prime mover cannot be physical and is made of spiritual energy.
• It attracts movers and inspires them. It is unaware of the world.
• First of substances but is not the efficient cause or creator. It’s the final cause and gives purpo
• The prime mover avoids the traditional problem of evil.
• Its impassive so it doesn’t feel emotion as that would cause change.
,Ancient Philosophy: Plato Cave analogy
• A student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. • The Cave: The psychical world of experience w
• Wrote 20 books and used analogies to explain life born, live and die.
and how it works. • Prisoner: Normal people who experience the wo
• Idealist- believes in order and harmony, morality they experience as reality.
and self denial. • Shadows: Things that we see in the world throu
• Believes in the immortality of the soul and virtues senses.
of reality. • The puppets/forms: Ideas we recognise in thing
• Used dialogues instead of writing it down. truth and beauty.
• Plato could answer Socrates questions e.g. what is• The jagged path: The journey of philosophers f
virtue and how can we know this? ignorance to knowledge.
• Believed that philosophers were an elite group who• The sun: Philosophical truth, knowledge and fo
could only find true knowledge or form of good. • Prisoners reaction: Is what the philosophers sh
Theory of forms when they have new knowledge.
• Forms are objects of knowledge. Form of good
• The material world is changing, the real world is • Cannot be clearly explained and allows you to
unchanged. other forms as it gives things purpose.
• We live In a world of senses. • Humans must pursue good, they do this with
• One form can change to make other forms as they philosophical thinking.
all have the same first form. • The forms we perceive do not come from our
• The world is split into intelligible and visible. from intelligence.
• Only people who question things can understand • Examples of forms of good are: justice, truth,
the truth behind the illusion. and beauty.
• Philosophers can think indifferent from their • The sun is at the top of the hierarchy of forms
senses. • Sun analogy- it gives light so we can see obje
• “An unexamined life is a life not worth living.” without it things in the material world would d
, Aristotle Four Causes
• Key question is: What is Material cause: 2. The efficient cause:
being? The raw material something is How does it happen?
• His book is called
madeuses
of. The thing that made it.
metaphysics.
The materials don’t describe the Uses
• This includes: question of
being, becoming, existence object. resources to make something
and reality.
• Nature is cause and purpose. 3. The formal cause: 4. The final cause:
• He believed the physical world Shape/characteristics of somethi What is it for?
is a key to knowledge. ng. What is the purpose/telos?
• The senses are a gateway to Helps identify object. Most important cause. The pu
intelligence. Then we ca put it it significance.
• He is an empiricist an plato his into categories. Telos means end, a means to
teacher is a rationalist. If an object fills its purpose th
• Fascinated by the nature of it is good.
things and why they exist.
Prime mover
• You never step in the same river twice.
• The prime mover is telos and is not subject to change.
• The prime mover cannot be physical and is made of spiritual energy.
• It attracts movers and inspires them. It is unaware of the world.
• First of substances but is not the efficient cause or creator. It’s the final cause and gives purpo
• The prime mover avoids the traditional problem of evil.
• Its impassive so it doesn’t feel emotion as that would cause change.
