In the trajectory of unit one I was introduced to few philosophers that viewed life different from I did. These philosophers includes Plato, Morpheus, Russell, Descartes, and others. Their perspective of life and knowledge have left me with a puzzle in my head; questioning my place of existence in this world. There are some philosophical views that seem outrageous for me to accept. Because if I do, my life would be broken into many pieces and I would realize that everything has been a lie. However, there are other philosophers that have keep me questioning about what is real and knowledge, keeping me safe in my beliefs. This philosophers theories have open my mind to the acceptance of potentials realities. Such as the dream analogy or the possibility of living in a matrix. In the following paragraph I will discuss two main points that have impacted me the most in this unit.
Plato’s philosophy of wisdom and knowledge baffle my mind, I did not understood his views or perception of existence. For the first few weeks; I questioned his philosophy from every possible angle, especially when it came to the “Forms”. “The Good itself” I did not understand nor did I wished to understand it. In his interpretation; the “Forms” have always existed and we only discovered them. But in my point of view; we created it them, it was us, as individuals that made them exist, and if we go extinct, they will also die with us. In my defense; this could be possible because we had created the symbol that corresponded to specific “Form”. Moreover; if we did not created a symbol to a specific “Form” then they cannot exit in our world, because we give them value and reason for existence. I was stock in this dilemma, and continue re-reading The Republic hopp...
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...x. I cannot be sure if the world actually looks like I think it does, or for that matter that I am a human from planet earth, Therefore, Nick Bastrom cannot be ignored about his theory because it cannot be disproved.
In conclusion, once you accept philosophy into your life, you cannot be sure of many things any longer. You do in fact question reality and knowledge. You want to continue to know more in hopes that maybe you could find answers to some questions. Accepting Descartes and Bostrom ideology, makes me question my existence. Maybe in reality we are just an experiment from other planets in this earth. In addition, if humans race parish already Plato’s theory of “Forms” is indeed true, because the matrix which is just a program for a dream world, still has the timeless, unique ideas of reasons; to let us perceived our concept of beauty and everything else.
This essay will examine the philosophical questions raised in the movie The Matrix. It will step through how the questions from the movie directly relate to both skepticism and the mind-body problem, and further how similarly those problems look to concepts raised by both Descartes’ and Plato’s philosophies. It will attempt to show that many of the questions raised in the movie are metaphor for concepts from each philosopher’s works, and why those concepts are important in relation to how they are presented in the film. In this analysis, we will examine the questions of skepticism and the mind-body problem separately. Part one will examine how the film broached the subject of skepticism, and in doing so how it ties in to Descartes and Plato. Part two will analyze the mind-body problems as raised by the movie and how those problems hold true or not to Descartes’ and Plato’s ideas.
In the field of philosophy there can be numerous answers to a general question, depending on a particular philosopher's views on the subject. Often times an answer is left undetermined. In the broad sense of the word and also stated in the dictionary philosophy can be described as the pursuit of human knowledge and human values. There are many different people with many different theories of knowledge. Two of these people, also philosophers, in which this paper will go into depth about are Descartes and Plato. Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and Plato's The Republic are the topics that are going to be discussed in this paper.
Only those who love knowledge and contemplate on the reality of things will achieve understanding of the forms. Philosophers, who by definition are knowledge lovers, are the only beings who can reach true knowledge. This concept has to be taken a step further because in The Republic, Plato states that philosophers should be the rulers since they are the only ones who hold the form of the good. Plato seems to be saying that it is not enough to know the forms of tables or trees, one must know the greatest form--form of the good--in order to rule.
“One of the best known and most influential philosophers of all time, Plato has been admired for thousands of years as a teacher, writer, and student. His works, thoughts, and theories have remained influential for more than 2000 years” (“Plato”). One of these great works by Plato that still remain an essential part of western philosophy today is, The Republic. Ten books are compiled to altogether make the dialog known as The Republic. The Republic consists of many major ideas and it becomes a dubious task to list and remember them all. Just alone in the first five books of the dialogue, many ideas begin to emerge and take shape. Three major ideas of The Republic; Books 1-5 by Plato, are: the question of what causes the inclination of a group,
The Republic is considered to be one of Plato’s most storied legacies. Plato recorded many different philosophical ideals in his writings. Addressing a wide variety of topics from justice in book one, to knowledge, enlightenment, and the senses as he does in book seven. In his seventh book, when discussing the concept of knowledge, he virtually addresses the cliché “seeing is believing”, while attempting to validate the roots of our knowledge. By his use of philosophical themes, Plato is able to further his points on enlightenment, knowledge, and education.
For Plato, Forms are eternal and changeless, but there is a relationship between these eternal and changeless Forms and particular things we perceive by means of our senses in the world. These particular things change in accordance to the perceiver and the perceiver’s environment and this is why Plato thought that such things do not possess real existence. For Plato, onl...
The Allegory of the Cave has many applications to both Plato’s writing and life in general. It describes the education of a philosopher, as well as how others look on the philosopher after he has gained the knowledge of the Forms. It also describes what it is like to see the forms. After understanding the forms, what once were objects, real things, become merely shadows. One sees everything as it truly exists, as it’s form.
Throughout human existence, scholars have earnestly pursued knowledge and the attainment of truth. Historical figures such as Plato, Descartes, and Emerson sought answers to daunting questions of: ‘What is truth?’; ‘What is reality?’; ‘How is wisdom acquired?’ Many scholars believe these philosophers presented conflicting viewpoints: Plato encouraging skepticism among all previous historical, cultural, and personal perspectives; Descartes questioning definitions of reality and his very existence; Emerson encouraging self-trust and confidence in one’s ideals, opinions, and convictions. Surprisingly, reconciliation can be reached from these three differing hypotheses. Emerson’s thesis merely expounds from Descartes and Plato’s philosophies. He builds from Descartes’ search for self-identity and reconciles Plato’s skepticism with his views of self-trust and unconformity among scholars.
In the article “Revenge and Moral Judgement in Tolkien”, Brian Rosebury explores the complexities of revenge within the rigid moral framework of Middle-earth. Tolkien's Christian faith promotes forgiveness and discourages vengeance; however, in his professional career he studied the tales of the pre-Christian North, where vindictive behaviour is encouraged. Due to his background, he does not condone nor completely dismiss revenge as a proper course of action. Instead, he presents acts of revenge that range from condemnable to subtlety acceptable. To add another layer of complexity, Tolkien invents sensible, sympathetic characters that are motivated by spite and want retribution. Although Tolkien's ultimate opinion on the morality of revenge is unclear, his stance regarding the criteria of virtue is explicit. Rosebury reflects on Tolkien as a rational writer who concerned himself with what he thought was the right and wrong state of mind. The bad emotions, such as pride, fear, humiliation, anger, and cruelty, lead to despair. In contrast, good sentiments benefit Tolkien's characters, often in unpredictable ways. Pity, in particular, is an important emotion because it eradicates self-interest. Incidentally, if a dangerous course of action is started with a good intention, then psychological health will be greatly conserved. In addition, most of Tolkien's characters lead a consistent moral life, or they progress towards greater maturity or towards degeneration and unhappiness. They may encounter a temptation of goodness or evil, but it passes quickly and they return to their linear form of development.
Plato’s Republic introduces a multitude of important and interesting concepts, of topics ranging from music, to gender equality, to political regime. For this reason, many philosophers and scholars still look back to The Republic in spite of its age. Yet one part that stands out in particular is Plato’s discussion of the soul in the fourth book of the Republic. Not only is this section interesting, but it was also extremely important for all proceeding moral philosophy, as Plato’s definition has been used ever since as a standard since then. Plato’s confabulation on the soul contains three main portions: defining each of the three parts and explanation of their functions, description of the interaction of the parts, and then how the the parts and their interaction motivate action. This essay will investigate each segment, and seek to explain their importance.
Plato, and G. M. A. Grube. Five Dialogues. 2nd ed. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub., 2002. Print.
The pursuit of knowledge has led many a philosopher to wonder what the purpose of life truly is, and how the material and immaterial are connected. The simple fact is, we can never know for certain. Arguments can be made, words can be thrown around, and rationale can be supported, but we as mere humans are not capable of arriving at the perfect understanding of life. Nonetheless, in the war against our own ignorance, we seek possible explanations to explain that which science and math cannot. Philosopher 's such as Plato and Aristotle have made notable contributions to our idea of the soul and its role in the grand scheme of life, while some, such as Descartes, have taken a more metaphysical view by pondering the impact one 's mind has on
Philosophy is a subject where there is no sound answer or argument for any question. Plato's beliefs were created through educated assumptions and provide a valid argument. One can continue their journey on this Earth trying to finding true perfection, however the chances are very slim according to Philosophy. Rather, one should embark in a more adventurous journey, a journey into the mind since it is the only housing of true perfection. A journey into a Philo Sophia
Plato believes there is two types of worlds that are of knowledge and opinion. As he understands, what is an every lasting reality is a true knowledge, which is the heart of what needs to be understood and everything people need to know. As he says for opinion, it will be only successful some times, as knowledge will always be right and successful at all times when implemented. An opinion for him has no base on true knowledge, but pure people’s speculations of their points of views. A true knowledge will never be influenced by any changes and it cannot be affected by anything; it will stand alone without changing. In Plato’s argument of how men will acquire knowledge in life, he says that knowledge resides in men’s immortal soul prior to his birth; this is how men will first encounter what he calls the “Forms” in that
In the Phaedo, Plato introduced the theory of Ideas which centered on the problem of immortality of the soul, which suggested that true cannot be finding in the sensible world, but in the world of ideas. He talked about the knowledge of equality in the sense world in which it is impossible to have things that are equal. Things in the sense world might seem to be equal, but in reality it is not. Equality can only come from the mind and this equality is Ideas, which has always been in the mind and is unchangeable, universal, and eternal. He lays down that ideas such as beauty itself, goodness itself, and justice itself are itself when they partake in themselves. For example, beautiful object is beautiful because they partake in itself or all beautiful things are beauty by itself. This makes beauty exist forever and not like objects in the sense world which is temporary. He used these Ideas to use as his proof for the immorality of the soul. The body is like objects in the sense world, which is temporary and insignificant. These objects can change from hour to hour and from day to day. They are unreliable and useless. The soul, on the other hand, is in the Ideas world which is unchangeable, perfect and is forever. Just like beautiful thing partake of beauty by itself, the soul partake in the ideas of life which means that the soul li...