Plato innatism
- Created by: imyimss
- Created on: 06-06-18 00:15
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- PLATO ON INNATE IDEAS
- HOW ARE INNATE IDEAS HELD IN THE MIND
- innate ideas exist in the mind as a sort of forgotten memory from when we apprehended them in a previous existence
- the innate ideas are accessed through a process of reasoning
- SLAVE BOY ARGUMENT
- P1. the slave boy has no prior knowledge of geometry
- P2. Socrates only asks questioning, he does not teach the boy about squares
- P3. by the end of the questioning, the slave boy is able to grasp an eternal truth about geometry
- P4. this eternal truth was not derived from the boys prior experience nor from Socrates
- C1. This eternal truth must have existed in the boy innately
- P4. this eternal truth was not derived from the boys prior experience nor from Socrates
- P3. by the end of the questioning, the slave boy is able to grasp an eternal truth about geometry
- P2. Socrates only asks questioning, he does not teach the boy about squares
- CRITICISM
- simply shows reason in action not innate knowledge
- the boy could have used past experience of shapes and lines
- P1. the slave boy has no prior knowledge of geometry
- P1. the senses can only reveal particular instances (usually imperfect examples)
- P2. The mind can grasp perfect universal concepts (through reasoning)
- C1. the concepts cannot be derived from the senses
- C2. These concepts must be contained within us to begin with (innate)
- C1. the concepts cannot be derived from the senses
- CRITICISM
- we can achieve perfect concepts from removing imperfections from past experienced shapes
- P2. The mind can grasp perfect universal concepts (through reasoning)
- WHAT IDEAS ARE INNATE?
- mathematical objects - numbers and shapes
- abstract concepts such as justice and beauty
- HOW ARE INNATE IDEAS HELD IN THE MIND
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