plato-2

universal forms are basis of knolwedge:

-platos attributes of knolwedge:

1.objective

2.unavailable to senses

3.universal

4.unchanging

5.grounded in rational understanding

empirical world:

-not only contains individuals but also categories that are universal.

-something common....ram shyam mohan are all humans.

- if everything was particular and individual we cudnt identify anything at all.

THE UNIVERSAL FORM

-corresponding to each "common name" eg justice,cat,cow etc - there is a universal FORM.

-THIS FORM CONTAINS ALL ESSESTIAL FEATURES OF THE PARTICULARS OF THAT CATEGORY.

-PARTICULARS GET DESTROYED BUT UNIVERSALS REMAIN FOREVER.EG DINOSAURS AND

MAMMOTHS

BUT THIS WORLD IS CHANGING AND PRONE TO CHANGE?

- hence these universals must reside in an ETERNAL UNCHANGINGWORLD.

-EG BEATUFIL PPL BECOME OLD GET UGLY AND DIE...BUT THE CONCEPT OF BEAUTY REMAINS
THE SAME FOREVER.

-PLATO CALLS UNIVERSALS BY MANY NAMES SUCH AS "FORMS"-"IDEAS"

-idea- eidos (greek world)- means essence of an entity- the purest and unadultreated form of
anything. eg justice ITSELF,BEAUTY ITSELF . all other particulars are slightly corrupted versions of
the perfect beauty,justice etc.

-particulars are not perfect .but universal forms are perfections .

-ideas are objects of knowledge - what we ought to KNOW . is the purest form of
justice/goodness etc.

-which are perfect,universal same for everyone.

modern word idea v/s platos idea:

-english idea exists in ppls minds and idspappears once theyr dead or unconcious. platos idea
resides in eternal realm and remains forever.

-eg idea of humanity.

-hence we prefer to use term FORMS to avoid this confusion ...IDEAS=FORMS.

reminscience of knowledge (all knowledge is recollection)

-sophists claimed that search of knowlege is an impossible job.

-sophists said "HOW WILL YOU RECOGNISE SOMETHING THAT YOU NEVER KNEW OF"?
EVEN IF YOU STUMBLE UPON A CIRCLE OR PERFECT BEAUTY HOW WILL YOU RECOGNISE IT? IF
EARLIER YOU ENVER KNEW ABOUT IT AT ALL.

PARADOX OF KNOWLEDGE:

-eg justice...if we are trying to find meaning of JUSTICE

-we either know it or we dont.

-if we already know it we dont need to seek it.

-if we never knew it...how will we recognise justice at all when we ever stumble upon it?

-eg let there be a new animal....say "gavagai"

platos respose:

plato says both facts are true : we both KNOW THE FORMS AS WELL AS DONT KNOW THEM.

1. we know them because theyr imprinted on our soul.

.we have innate and prioridal knowledge of all perfections before our bodies were even born.

-soul has seen all perfections in the realm of ideas/forms before entering the body (parallel in
jainims kevala jnana)- draw parallels with indian philosophy to get more marks.

-but on entering physcial world the soul forgets past knowledge as emotions of the body cloud
its judgements and blurs its visions.

-hence this explains doubt of sophists.. why we dont know anything -because it is lying latently
somehwere in the soul waiting to be redisocvered or recollected by us. eg hypnosis.

part of our memories we have lost access to.

- so knowledge is not inventing something but mere rediscovery of what was known to the soul.

- THE "AHA - I KNEW IT" moment...like in maths.

-such nature of truths that can be known through our minds only without even using sense data
are knowledge. eg mathematical laws..we dont need to draw a circle to arrive at knowledge of a
circle.

ROLE OF SENSES?
-to merely trigger the rediscovery of forms /ideas that already lie hidden in our soul/mind.

-we engage in dialectical questioning method of socrates...in an activity (tahts why republic book
of plato contains -DIALOGUES)

-in republic socrates as protagonist is shown conversing with an uneducated slave boy who
arrives at geometrical knowledge assisted by a series of questions although he never knew
maths.

-similarly we can know everything like justic ebeuaty etc even thoughb weve never seen it with
seneses. but because we have seen it with the souls/minds eyes.

-hernce sense exoperience or socratic method does not GIVE US NEW KNOWLEDGE - but only
helps us to recollect what we already knew.

eg looking at someones photo.