Plato 2

World of Forms

Plato’s theory of the Forms posits a dualistic reality, with the imperfect, material world and the perfect, immaterial world of the Forms.
The Forms are perfect and immutable archetypes of all things in our material world. For Plato, they represent truth and reality.
The highest Form is the Form of the Good, which is the source of all other Forms and of knowledge.

Allegory of the Cave

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave encapsulates his view of the world and knowledge.
In the allegory, prisoners in a cave see only shadows, representing illusion or appearances, until one escapes and sees the true reality in the light of the sun (the Form of the Good).
The released prisoner represents the philosopher, who, through the dialectic process, gains understanding of the Forms and can distinguish between appearance and reality.

Role of the Philosopher

Philosophers, according to Plato, should be the rulers, as they understand the Forms and can thus make informed and just decisions.
The philosopher’s role is to educate and guide people to knowledge and understanding of the Forms.

Criticism of Materialism

Plato criticised the Sophist philosophers who focused on rhetoric and skill in argument, rather than seeking truth.
He also rejected the materialistic views of the Pre-Socratic philosophers, insisting that the organs of sense cannot grasp reality - the Forms.

Ethics

Plato’s ethical theory stems from his concept of the Forms. Some Forms are virtues, and the soul’s knowledge of these allows for moral decision-making.
In Plato’s view, behaving virtuously means acting in line with the Form of the Good.
Plato described the soul as having three parts - logical, spirited, and appetitive. A harmonious soul, in which each part does its job, results in a just individual.

Aristotle 1

Empiricism

Unlike Plato, Aristotle did not believe in a separate world of Forms. Instead, he thought that reality is found in the material world.
Aristotle was an empiricist, believing that knowledge comes from experience and the senses.
The forms exist in the things themselves, not apart from them.

Potentiality and Actuality

Aristotle’s notion of potentiality and actuality states that all things have the potential to change and become actualized. A seed, for instance, has the potential to become a tree, but it must undergo change to become actualized.

Four Causes

Aristotle’s concept of the four causes explains why things exist and what their purpose is.
The material cause: the matter from which something is made.
The formal cause: the design that the matter takes on.
The efficient cause: the agent that brings something into being.
The final cause: the purpose or function of a thing.

Prime Mover

Aristotle believed in a Prime Mover, a being who sets everything in motion but is not moved itself. The Prime Mover is pure actuality, without the potential for change.
For Aristotle, the Prime Mover is the source of all movement and activity in the universe, and all things strive to emulate it.

Ethics

Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics argues that virtue is a mean between extremes of deficiency and excess. The virtuous person finds a balance.
Moral virtues are formed through habituation, and everyone has the potential to become virtuous through practise.
Aristotle’s eudaimonia or the highest human good, is a life characterised by rational activity in accordance with virtue over a complete life.

Criticism of Plato

Aristotle is critical of Plato’s Theory of the Forms, especially the Form of the Good.
He does not accept that there is a world of perfect, unchanging Forms that exist separately from the material world, instead he posits that the forms exist in the things themselves.

These are the key points to consider when revising Plato and Aristotle for the Ancient Philosophical Influence part of the OCR Religious Studies A Level exam. Understanding these concepts is essential for a good performance in both the essay and short answer questions of the exam paper.