Socrates

Socrates/Aristotle Jackie Morehead Socrates/Aristotle Good Morning, Class today we will discuss Aristotle/ Plato views on the theory of knowledge. First, is it possible to fully understand the depth that is involved in their philosophy' Socrates: Both Plato’s and I believed that the theory of forms and knowledge are interrelated. Socrates: In what way do you find the theories to be interrelated' Student: Well they both believed that knowledge is attainable and that whenever you are talking about one then the other is also included as to their similarities. Both Socrates and Plato believe that knowledge is attainable. The two philosophers also both felt that in order for there to be knowledge there must be two forms of characteristics. The first according to Plato is in order to obtain knowledge the knowledge must be certain, and the other is that knowledge must have object which is real and is contrasted by being both fixed and concrete. Socrates: In what way did Socrates and Plato declare their theories' Student: One fallacy to Plato’s knowledge theory is the claim that knowledge is not derived from experience but rather what is learned from concrete evidence, and that is how knowledge is gained. Student: Why then does Plato reject empiricism' Socrates: “The thought that propositions derived from sense experience have, at most, a degree of probability. They are not certain. Furthermore, the objects of sense experience are changeable phenomena of the physical world. Hence, objects of sense experience are not proper objects of knowledge.” 1. Student: Plato’s theory of knowledge is found in the Republic, in his discussion of the cave and the divided line of the myth. Plato explains that there are two levels of awareness, they are “opinion and knowledge” Plato felt that claims about the physical or visible world are only opinions and are not propositions of science. Plato felt that some opinions are well founded, but that none of them counts are genuine knowledge. According to Plato there is a higher level of awareness because knowledge has reason and if properly used results in knowledge. Socrates: the myth of the cave explains that individuals are bound deep within the cave and that they cannot see each other. The only thing that the individuals in the cave can see is shadows from the fire, which are cast about the walls of the cave. One of the individuals breaks free and escapes into the reality and then explains to the rest that their illusions are false, and that if they are able to break free from their thinking that they can achieve knowledge. Socrates: Furthermore, “The theory of Forms may best be understood in terms of mathematical entities. A circle, for instance, is defined as a plane figure composed of a series of points. What people have actually seen are drawn figures that are more or less close approximations of the ideal circle. In fact, when mathematicians define a circle, the points referred to are not spatial points at all; they are logical points. They do not occupy space. Nevertheless, although the Form of a circle has never been seen–indeed, could never be seen–mathematicians and others do in fact know what a circle is. That they can define a circle is evidence that they know what it is. For Plato, therefore, the Form "circularity" exists, but not in the physical world of space and time. Student: Why then would the theory of form define the knowledge' Socrates: The light in the cave serves as a glimpse of what is attainable, however if the chains that bind you are not removed then, the reality of the world will not be accessable. Student; Then what you are saying is that the cave represents our safe place, and the chains are the thoughts that keep us restrained' Socrates: Yes, that is correct. The light serves as a taste of what can be found if the chains are undone. Knowledge is that which is proven, not found or speculated, rather it has concrete proof of the circumstance.