Ideas of Plato, by Theme
[Greek, 428 - 347 BCE, Athenian pupil of Socrates. Founded Academy in Athens 385. Travelled to Italy and Sicily. Taught Aristotle. Died in Athens.]
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1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 1. Nature of Wisdom
1922
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Spiritual qualities only become advantageous with the growth of wisdom
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23890
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For Plato true wisdom is supernatural [Weil]
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13786
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Wisdom is called 'beautiful', because it performs fine works
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354
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Wisdom makes virtue and true goodness possible
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14179
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The finest branch of wisdom is justice and moderation in ordering states and families
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1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 2. Wise People
13780
|
Good people are no different from wise ones
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2136
|
Philosophers become as divine and orderly as possible, by studying divinity and order
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24261
|
Devotion to learning and applied intelligence leads to divine wisdom - if truth is available
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1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 3. Wisdom Deflated
291
|
Don't assume that wisdom is the automatic consequence of old age
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1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 2. Ancient Philosophy / b. Pre-Socratic philosophy
3060
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Plato never mentions Democritus, and wished to burn his books [Diog. Laertius]
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 1. Philosophy
162
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Can we understand an individual soul without knowing the soul in general?
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326
|
For relaxation one can consider the world of change, instead of eternal things
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 2. Invocation to Philosophy
160
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The highest ability in man is the ability to discuss unity and plurality in the nature of things
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315
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Philosophy is the supreme gift of the gods to mortals
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1642
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We must fight fiercely for knowledge, understanding and intelligence
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / a. Philosophy as worldly
24224
|
An unexamined life is not worth living.
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / b. Philosophy as transcendent
370
|
Philosophy is a purification of the soul ready for the afterlife
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / e. Philosophy as reason
23767
|
The winds of the discussion should decide its destination
|
15447
|
We shouldn't always follow where the argument leads! [Lewis]
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy
125
|
Is a gifted philosopher unmanly if he avoids the strife of the communal world?
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2056
|
Philosophers are always switching direction to something more interesting
|
1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 2. Analysis by Division
166
|
A speaker should be able to divide a subject, right down to the limits of divisibility
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2083
|
Either a syllable is its letters (making parts as knowable as whole) or it isn't (meaning it has no parts)
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2086
|
Understanding mainly involves knowing the elements, not their combinations
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16123
|
Whenever you perceive a community of things, you should also hunt out differences in the group
|
1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 4. Conceptual Analysis
23682
|
It would be absurd to be precise about the small things, but only vague about the big things
|
1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 7. Limitations of Analysis
1645
|
The desire to split everything into its parts is unpleasant and unphilosophical
|
2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 1. On Reason
224
|
When questions are doubtful we should concentrate not on objects but on ideas of the intellect
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243
|
It is foolish to quarrel with the mind's own reasoning processes
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 3. Pure Reason
24226
|
The soul on its own enters a pure, unchanging and eternal realm, and experiences wisdom
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350
|
In investigation the body leads us astray, but the soul gets a clear view of the facts
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 4. Aims of Reason
241
|
We ought to follow where the argument leads us
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 6. Coherence
2082
|
A rational account is essentially a weaving together of things with names
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 7. Status of Reason
362
|
The greatest misfortune for a person is to develop a dislike for argument
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 9. Limits of Reason
21264
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Mortals are incapable of being fully rational
|
2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 2. Sufficient Reason
306
|
Nothing can come to be without a cause
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2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 4. Contraries
192
|
Only one thing can be contrary to something
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2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 5. Opposites
232
|
Opposites are as unlike as possible
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2. Reason / C. Styles of Reason / 1. Dialectic
13778
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A dialectician is someone who knows how to ask and to answer questions
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23891
|
Two contradictories force us to find a relation which will correlate them [Weil]
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24264
|
Cebes responds critically to every idea he hears
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2154
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The ability to take an overview is the distinguishing mark of a dialectician
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2151
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Dialectic is the only method of inquiry which uproots the things which it takes for granted
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4011
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For Plato, rationality is a vision of and love of a cosmic rational order [Taylor,C]
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8937
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Plato's 'Parmenides' is the greatest artistic achievement of the ancient dialectic [Hegel]
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1644
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Dialectic should only be taught to those who already philosophise well
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2. Reason / C. Styles of Reason / 2. Elenchus
1654
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In "Gorgias" Socrates is confident that his 'elenchus' will decide moral truth [Vlastos]
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4321
|
We should test one another, by asking and answering questions
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2093
|
You must never go against what you actually believe
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20478
|
In discussion a person's opinions are shown to be in conflict, leading to calm self-criticism
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2. Reason / C. Styles of Reason / 3. Eristic
2130
|
People often merely practise eristic instead of dialectic, because they don't analyse the subject-matter
|
2052
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Eristic discussion is aggressive, but dialectic aims to help one's companions in discussion
|
2. Reason / D. Definition / 2. Aims of Definition
16125
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To reveal a nature, divide down, and strip away what it has in common with other things
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16124
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No one wants to define 'weaving' just for the sake of weaving
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2. Reason / D. Definition / 4. Real Definition
15854
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A primary element has only a name, and no logos, but complexes have an account, by weaving the names
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2. Reason / D. Definition / 11. Ostensive Definition
24250
|
We should not pick out 'this' water, but only 'something of this sort'
|
2. Reason / F. Fallacies / 3. Question Begging
24276
|
If you want to discover facts, don't muddle the start of enquiry with its conclusion
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3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 2. Defining Truth
24232
|
Truth is speaking what is and things that are
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3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 3. Value of Truth
251
|
Truth has the supreme value, for both gods and men
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3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 7. Falsehood
24233
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If speech is making something, then lies are impossible
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3. Truth / C. Correspondence Truth / 1. Correspondence Truth
13776
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Truths say of what is that it is, falsehoods say of what is that it is not
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4. Formal Logic / B. Propositional Logic PL / 2. Tools of Propositional Logic / e. Axioms of PL
2145
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In mathematics certain things have to be accepted without further explanation
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4. Formal Logic / G. Formal Mereology / 1. Mereology
15845
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It seems absurd that seeing a person's limbs, the one is many, and yet the many are one
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5. Theory of Logic / D. Assumptions for Logic / 4. Identity in Logic
24299
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Equals added to unequals maintain the difference between them
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5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 1. Naming / a. Names
13791
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Things must be known before they are named, so it can't be the names that give us knowledge
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13777
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A name is a sort of tool
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13790
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A name-giver might misname something, then force other names to conform to it
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5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 1. Naming / c. Names as referential
13789
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Anyone who knows a thing's name also knows the thing
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5. Theory of Logic / L. Paradox / 2. Aporiai
11259
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How can you seek knowledge of something if you don't know it?
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5. Theory of Logic / L. Paradox / 3. Antinomies
13986
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Plato found antinomies in ideas, Kant in space and time, and Bradley in relations [Ryle]
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14150
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Plato's 'Parmenides' is perhaps the best collection of antinomies ever made [Russell]
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6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 2. Geometry
8726
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Geometry can lead the mind upwards to truth and philosophy
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9867
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It is absurd to define a circle, but not be able to recognise a real one
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6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / a. Units
24302
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Without oneness we can't conceive of many
|
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / f. Arithmetic
13155
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If you add one to one, which one becomes two, or do they both become two?
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9865
|
Daily arithmetic counts unequal things, but pure arithmetic equalises them
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6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 5. The Infinite / b. Mark of the infinite
24301
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If we subtract a part from a multitude, will that part not itself be a multitude?
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 1. Mathematical Platonism / a. For mathematical platonism
9863
|
We aim for elevated discussion of pure numbers, not attaching them to physical objects
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9864
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In pure numbers, all ones are equal, with no internal parts
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8727
|
Geometry is not an activity, but the study of unchanging knowledge
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16150
|
One is, so numbers exist, so endless numbers exist, and each one must partake of being
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10216
|
We master arithmetic by knowing all the numbers in our soul
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 4. Mathematical Empiricism / a. Mathematical empiricism
24246
|
The sun was made for light, so we could learn numbers from astronomical movement
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6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 4. Mathematical Empiricism / c. Against mathematical empiricism
9861
|
The same thing is both one and an unlimited number at the same time
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7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / a. Nature of Being
24280
|
Changing things and change itself are part of being, since it has life and mind
|
7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / b. Being and existence
24297
|
Is existence just being combined with time?
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7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / c. Becoming
9862
|
To become rational, philosophers must rise from becoming into being
|
229
|
The one was and is and will be and was becoming and is becoming and will become
|
24298
|
What is becoming can't avoid the now, and then it ceases to become, and is itself
|
20364
|
The apprehensions of reason remain unchanging, but reasonless sensation shows mere becoming
|
324
|
Before the existence of the world there must have been being, space and becoming
|
7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / d. Non-being
11278
|
What does 'that which is not' refer to?
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7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / e. Being and nothing
1643
|
If statements about non-existence are logically puzzling, so are statements about existence
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7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / f. Primary being
21818
|
Being depends on the Good, which is not itself being, but superior to being
|
21821
|
Plato's Parmenides has a three-part theory, of Primal One, a One-Many, and a One-and-Many [Plotinus]
|
7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 6. Criterion for Existence
7022
|
To be is to have a capacity, to act on other things, or to receive actions
|
7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 1. Nature of Change
2063
|
How can beauty have identity if it changes?
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2061
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The best things (gods, healthy bodies, good souls) are least liable to change
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2060
|
There seem to be two sorts of change: alteration and motion
|
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 8. Stuff / b. Mixtures
15857
|
Any mixture which lacks measure and proportion doesn't even count as a mixture at all
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14503
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If a mixture does not contain measure and proportion, it is corrupted and destroyed
|
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 2. Realism
7953
|
Reasoning needs to cut nature accurately at the joints
|
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 3. Reality
6562
|
Plato's reality has unchanging Parmenidean forms, and Heraclitean flux [Fogelin]
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221
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Absolute ideas, such as the Good and the Beautiful, cannot be known by us
|
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 6. Physicalism
1641
|
Some alarming thinkers think that only things which you can touch exist
|
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 11. Ontological Commitment / a. Ontological commitment
10784
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Whenever there's speech it has to be about something
|
7. Existence / E. Categories / 2. Categorisation
13775
|
We only succeed in cutting if we use appropriate tools, not if we approach it randomly
|
16121
|
I revere anyone who can discern a single thing that encompasses many things
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24281
|
We divide things into kinds by expert dialectic
|
8. Modes of Existence / A. Relations / 2. Internal Relations
21347
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If Simmias is taller than Socrates, that isn't a feature that is just in Simmias
|
8. Modes of Existence / A. Relations / 3. Structural Relations
14502
|
Plato's idea of 'structure' tends to be mathematically expressed [Koslicki]
|
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 1. Universals
24292
|
Are many people covered by a whole sail, or each person by a part of it?
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24293
|
Maybe thoughts are just thoughts in minds - but how then do they cover many instances?
|
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 2. Need for Universals
2142
|
The plurality of beautiful things must belong to a single class, because they have a single particular character
|
153
|
It takes a person to understand, by using universals, and by using reason to create a unity out of sense-impressions
|
223
|
If you deny that each thing always stays the same, you destroy the possibility of discussion
|
227
|
You must always mean the same thing when you utter the same name
|
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / a. Platonic Forms
20906
|
Platonists argue for the indivisible triangle-in-itself [Aristotle]
|
17948
|
Plato's Forms meant that the sophists only taught the appearance of wisdom and virtue [Nehamas]
|
3039
|
When Diogenes said he could only see objects but not their forms, Plato said it was because he had eyes but no intellect [Diog. Laertius]
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24270
|
If we perceive equals, we need prior knowledge of the equal in itself
|
24230
|
The Forms arise whenever we talk of something 'in itself'.
|
24225
|
Things like the Equal and the Beautiful, which are real, must be unchanging
|
1607
|
Diotima said the Forms are the objects of desire in philosophical discourse [Roochnik]
|
5094
|
Plato's Forms are said to have no location in space [Aristotle]
|
12043
|
Forms are not universals, as they don't cover every general term [Annas]
|
24229
|
The true reality is organised and harmonised in a rational order
|
2159
|
Craftsmen making furniture refer to the form, but no one manufactures the form of furniture
|
154
|
We would have an overpowering love of knowledge if we had a pure idea of it - as with the other Forms
|
210
|
It would be absurd to think there were abstract Forms for vile things like hair, mud and dirt
|
16151
|
Plato moves from Forms to a theory of genera and principles in his later work [Frede,M]
|
211
|
If admirable things have Forms, maybe everything else does as well
|
228
|
Greatness and smallness must exist, to be opposed to one another, and come into being in things
|
24294
|
The powers of forms and powers of our world are quite separate
|
219
|
If absolute ideas existed in us, they would cease to be absolute
|
307
|
Something will always be well-made if the maker keeps in mind the eternal underlying pattern
|
318
|
In addition to the underlying unchanging model and a changing copy of it, there must also be a foundation of all change
|
12042
|
Plato's Forms were seen as part of physics, rather than of metaphysics [Annas]
|
16122
|
Good thinkers spot forms spread through things, or included within some larger form
|
10422
|
The not-beautiful is part of the beautiful, though opposed to it, and is just as real
|
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / b. Partaking
304
|
Beautiful things must be different from beauty itself, but beauty itself must be present in each of them
|
556
|
If there is one Form for both the Form and its participants, they must have something in common [Aristotle]
|
1
|
There is only one source for all beauty
|
24227
|
One and one can only become two by sharing in Twoness
|
368
|
Other things are named after the Forms because they participate in them
|
24285
|
Beauty itself is eternal, and beautiful objects partake of it, but never change it
|
24228
|
Believers in the beautiful see that it is separate from things that participate in it
|
17
|
A Form applies to a set of particular things with the same name
|
212
|
The whole idea of each Form must be found in each thing which participates in it
|
213
|
Each idea is in all its participants at once, just as daytime is a unity but in many separate places at once
|
24282
|
A form is wholly present in many different things (just as a day is present in many places)
|
24288
|
Probably partaking in the Forms is like being modeled on a pattern
|
215
|
If things partake of ideas, this implies either that everything thinks, or that everything actually is thought
|
24283
|
It is most likely that forms are patterns, and a thing partakes by being modelled on the form
|
216
|
If things are made alike by participating in something, that thing will be the absolute idea
|
218
|
Participation is not by means of similarity, so we are looking for some other method of participation
|
317
|
The universe is basically an intelligible and unchanging model, and a visible and changing copy of it
|
4447
|
If the good is one, is it unchanged when it is in particulars, and is it then separated from itself?
|
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / c. Self-predication
190
|
If asked whether justice itself is just or unjust, you would have to say that it is just
|
563
|
If gods are like men, they are just eternal men; similarly, Forms must differ from particulars [Aristotle]
|
214
|
If absolute greatness and great things are seen as the same, another thing appears which makes them seem great
|
217
|
Nothing can be like an absolute idea, because a third idea intervenes to make them alike (leading to a regress)
|
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / d. Forms critiques
557
|
A Form is a cause of things only in the way that white mixed with white is a cause [Aristotle]
|
565
|
The Forms cannot be changeless if they are in changing things [Aristotle]
|
24275
|
Whether things are large or small needs the Forms of largeness and smallness
|
12122
|
Plato mistakenly thought forms were totally abstracted away from matter [Bacon]
|
5574
|
Plato's Forms not only do not come from the senses, but they are beyond possibility of sensing [Kant]
|
24287
|
If a Form exists completely in may things, then it is separated from itself
|
24289
|
Forms are very difficult, if we must posit a new Form every time we make a distinction
|
24290
|
The master-slave relationships are between people, not between mastery and slavery
|
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 2. Abstract Objects / a. Nature of abstracta
9607
|
The greatest discovery in human thought is Plato's discovery of abstract objects [Brown,JR]
|
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / a. Individuation
13263
|
We can grasp whole things in science, because they have a mathematics and a teleology [Koslicki]
|
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / d. Individuation by haecceity
13787
|
Doesn't each thing have an essence, just as it has other qualities?
|
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 6. Nihilism about Objects
15855
|
If we see everything as separate, we can then give no account of it
|
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 1. Unifying an Object / a. Intrinsic unification
13265
|
Plato was less concerned than Aristotle with the source of unity in a complex object [Koslicki]
|
13261
|
Plato sees an object's structure as expressible in mathematics [Koslicki]
|
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 1. Unifying an Object / b. Unifying aggregates
15851
|
Parts must belong to a created thing with a distinct form
|
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 1. Unifying an Object / c. Unity as conceptual
15856
|
A thing can become one or many, depending on how we talk about it
|
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 2. Substance / c. Types of substance
593
|
Plato's holds that there are three substances: Forms, mathematical entities, and perceptible bodies [Aristotle]
|
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 5. Composition of an Object
15846
|
In Parmenides, if composition is identity, a whole is nothing more than its parts [Harte,V]
|
374
|
If one object is divided into its parts, someone can then say that one are many and many is one
|
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 8. Parts of Objects / a. Parts of objects
15849
|
Plato says only a one has parts, and a many does not [Harte,V]
|
15850
|
Anything which has parts must be one thing, and parts are of a one, not of a many
|
2084
|
If a word has no parts and has a single identity, it turns out to be the same kind of thing as a letter
|
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 8. Parts of Objects / c. Wholes from parts
13260
|
Plato says wholes are either containers, or they're atomic, or they don't exist [Koslicki]
|
13259
|
It seems that the One must be composed of parts, which contradicts its being one
|
15843
|
The whole can't be the parts, because it would be all of the parts, which is the whole
|
15844
|
A sum is that from which nothing is lacking, which is a whole
|
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 2. Types of Essence
11237
|
Only universals have essence [Politis]
|
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 3. Individual Essences
13774
|
Things don't have every attribute, and essence isn't private, so each thing has an essence
|
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 4. Essence as Definition
21259
|
To grasp a thing we need its name, its definition, and what it really is
|
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 5. Essence as Kind
24284
|
We want the character which makes all bees the same, or all virtues somehow the same
|
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 6. Essence as Unifier
11238
|
Plato and Aristotle take essence to make a thing what it is [Politis]
|
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 15. Against Essentialism
13772
|
Is the being or essence of each thing private to each person?
|
9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 9. Ship of Theseus
16516
|
The ship which Theseus took to Crete is now sent to Delos crowned with flowers
|
9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 6. Identity between Objects
15847
|
Two things relate either as same or different, or part of a whole, or the whole of the part
|
24254
|
Two existing entities can never strictly coincide
|
9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 7. Indiscernible Objects
13788
|
If we made a perfect duplicate of Cratylus, there would be two Cratyluses
|
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 2. Nature of Necessity
24236
|
Some statements about what is obvious and stable are as irrefutable as possible
|
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 1. Knowledge
16120
|
Knowing how to achieve immortality is pointless without the knowledge how to use immortality
|
2133
|
Knowledge must be of the permanent unchanging nature of things
|
2080
|
Things are only knowable if a rational account (logos) is possible
|
24252
|
Knowledge is taught, has logos, is unshakeable, and is rare
|
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 2. Understanding
16126
|
Expertise is knowledge of the whole by means of the parts
|
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 3. Value of Knowledge
20184
|
The only real evil is loss of knowledge
|
20185
|
The most important things in life are wisdom and knowledge
|
20219
|
True opinions only become really valuable when they are tied down by reasons
|
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / c. Aim of beliefs
2050
|
It is impossible to believe something which is held to be false
|
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / d. Cause of beliefs
2076
|
How can a belief exist if its object doesn't exist?
|
11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 1. Certainty
389
|
How can you be certain about aspects of the world if they aren't constant?
|
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 3. Innate Knowledge / b. Recollection doctrine
5985
|
Seeking and learning are just recollection
|
5986
|
The slave boy learns geometry from questioning, not teaching, so it is recollection
|
359
|
If we feel the inadequacy of a resemblance, we must recollect the original
|
357
|
People are obviously recollecting when they react to a geometrical diagram
|
5961
|
The soul gets its goodness from god, and its evil from previous existence.
|
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 6. A Priori from Reason
9343
|
To achieve pure knowledge, we must get rid of the body and contemplate things with the soul
|
12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 1. Perception
24272
|
Philosophy reveals that the senses are extremely deceptive
|
2067
|
Our senses could have been separate, but they converge on one mind
|
2045
|
Perception is infallible, suggesting that it is knowledge
|
12. Knowledge Sources / C. Rationalism / 1. Rationalism
2162
|
If theory and practice conflict, the best part of the mind accepts theory, so the other part is of lower grade
|
151
|
True knowledge is of the reality behind sense experience
|
2068
|
With what physical faculty do we perceive pairs of opposed abstract qualities?
|
2078
|
You might mistake eleven for twelve in your senses, but not in your mind
|
2069
|
Thought must grasp being itself before truth becomes possible
|
24251
|
If knowledge is just true belief, we are forced to rely on the senses
|
334
|
Only bird-brained people think astronomy is entirely a matter of evidence
|
1637
|
A soul without understanding is ugly
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 1. Justification / b. Need for justification
1923
|
As a guide to action, true opinion is as good as knowledge
|
24271
|
If a man knows something, he can give an account of it
|
174
|
True opinion without reason is midway between wisdom and ignorance
|
2140
|
True belief without knowledge is like blind people on the right road
|
2089
|
An inadequate rational account would still not justify knowledge
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 2. Justification Challenges / a. Agrippa's trilemma
2085
|
Parts and wholes are either equally knowable or equally unknowable
|
2091
|
Without distinguishing marks, how do I know what my beliefs are about?
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 3. Internal or External / a. Pro-internalism
2087
|
A rational account might be seeing an image of one's belief, like a reflection in a mirror
|
2090
|
A rational account involves giving an image, or analysis, or giving a differentiating mark
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 4. Foundationalism / a. Foundationalism
2081
|
Maybe primary elements can be named, but not receive a rational account
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 5. Coherentism / b. Pro-coherentism
2088
|
A rational account of a wagon would mean knowledge of its hundred parts
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / C. External Justification / 3. Reliabilism / a. Reliable knowledge
303
|
Say how many teeth the other has, then count them. If you are right, we will trust your other claims
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / D. Scepticism / 1. Scepticism
13792
|
There can't be any knowledge if things are constantly changing
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / D. Scepticism / 5. Dream Scepticism
2047
|
What evidence can be brought to show whether we are dreaming or not?
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / D. Scepticism / 6. Scepticism Critique
1919
|
You don't need to learn what you know, and how do you seek for what you don't know?
|
13. Knowledge Criteria / E. Relativism / 6. Relativism Critique
335
|
Do the gods also hold different opinions about what is right and honourable?
|
2053
|
If you claim that all beliefs are true, that includes beliefs opposed to your own
|
2054
|
Clearly some people are superior to others when it comes to medicine
|
2059
|
How can a relativist form opinions about what will happen in the future?
|
14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 5. Anomalies
165
|
If the apparent facts strongly conflict with probability, it is in everyone's interests to suppress the facts
|
14. Science / D. Explanation / 1. Explanation / b. Aims of explanation
17085
|
A good explanation totally rules out the opposite explanation (so Forms are required) [Ruben]
|
14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / g. Causal explanations
15859
|
To investigate the causes of things, study what is best for them
|
24295
|
To find the truth about the being of something, you must study all of its consequences
|
14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / k. Explanations by essence
24279
|
We no longer explain a hot body by 'heat', but by its containing fire
|
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 1. Mind / e. Questions about mind
2096
|
Is the function of the mind management, authority and planning - or is it one's whole way of life?
|
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 2. Psuche
13781
|
Soul causes the body to live, and gives it power to breathe and to be revitalized
|
6009
|
Psychic conflict is clear if appetite is close to the body and reason fairly separate [Modrak]
|
24291
|
A man was disgusted by corpses, but he angrily overruled his appetite
|
6041
|
There is a third element to the mind - spirit - lying between reason and appetite
|
9296
|
The soul is self-motion
|
24244
|
The soul is a complex mixture of pure mind and changing matter
|
5962
|
Plato says the soul is ordered by number [Plutarch]
|
21260
|
Soul is what is defined by 'self-generating motion'
|
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 5. Unity of Mind
2127
|
The mind has parts, because we have inner conflicts
|
1737
|
The soul seems to have an infinity of parts [Aristotle]
|
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 8. Brain
13154
|
Do we think and experience with blood, air or fire, or could it be our brain?
|
24258
|
The gods placed the mortal soul in the chest
|
15. Nature of Minds / C. Capacities of Minds / 6. Idealisation
360
|
We must have a prior knowledge of equality, if we see 'equal' things and realise they fall short of it
|
15. Nature of Minds / C. Capacities of Minds / 7. Seeing Resemblance
191
|
Everything resembles everything else up to a point
|
24269
|
When lovers see a beloved's lyre, they immediately think of the beloved
|
16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 3. Self as Non-physical
276
|
My individuality is my soul, which carries my body around
|
16. Persons / D. Continuity of the Self / 1. Identity and the Self
364
|
One soul can't be more or less of a soul than another
|
16. Persons / E. Rejecting the Self / 1. Self as Indeterminate
181
|
Only the gods stay unchanged; we replace our losses with similar acquisitions
|
180
|
We call a person the same throughout life, but all their attributes change
|
16. Persons / F. Free Will / 6. Determinism / a. Determinism
330
|
No one wants to be bad, but bad men result from physical and educational failures, which they do not want or choose
|
18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 3. Emotions / g. Controlling emotions
1651
|
Plato wanted to somehow control and purify the passions [Vlastos]
|
23997
|
Plato saw emotions and appetites as wild horses, in need of taming [Goldie]
|
18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 6. Artificial Thought / a. Artificial Intelligence
24240
|
Intelligence requires soul
|
18. Thought / D. Concepts / 1. Concepts / b. Concepts in philosophy
24278
|
Threeness brings up oddness, which won't admit evenness
|
19. Language / F. Communication / 1. Rhetoric
114
|
Rhetoric can produce conviction, but not educate people about right and wrong
|
116
|
Rhetoric is irrational about its means and its ends
|
3324
|
Plato's whole philosophy may be based on being duped by reification - a figure of speech [Benardete,JA]
|
5945
|
The 'Republic' is a great work of rhetorical theory [Lawson-Tancred]
|
5946
|
'Phaedrus' pioneers the notion of philosophical rhetoric [Lawson-Tancred]
|
159
|
Only a good philosopher can be a good speaker
|
158
|
An excellent speech seems to imply a knowledge of the truth in the mind of the speaker
|
283
|
The question of whether or not to persuade comes before the science of persuasion
|
20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 1. Intention to Act / b. Types of intention
135
|
All activity aims at the good
|
20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / a. Will to Act
23316
|
For Plato and Aristotle there is no will; there is only rational desire for what is seen as good [Frede,M]
|
20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 2. Acting on Beliefs / a. Acting on beliefs
16
|
We avoid evil either through a natural aversion, or because we have acquired knowledge
|
20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / b. Intellectualism
1655
|
If goodness needs true opinion but not knowledge, you can skip the 'examined life' [Vlastos]
|
203
|
Courage is knowing what should or shouldn't be feared
|
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 4. Beauty
299
|
What is fine is always difficult
|
173
|
Beauty and goodness are the same
|
4026
|
Beauty is harmony with what is divine, and ugliness is lack of such harmony
|
172
|
Love of ugliness is impossible
|
155
|
Beauty is the clearest and most lovely of the Forms
|
24241
|
Beauty must always be perfect
|
390
|
If goodness involves moderation and proportion, then it seems to be found in beauty
|
249
|
People who value beauty above virtue insult the soul by placing the body above it
|
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 5. Natural Beauty
183
|
Stage two is the realisation that beauty of soul is of more value than beauty of body
|
184
|
Progress goes from physical beauty, to moral beauty, to the beauty of knowledge, and reaches absolute beauty
|
282
|
Non-physical beauty can only be shown clearly by speech
|
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 8. The Arts / a. Music
171
|
Music is a knowledge of love in the realm of harmony and rhythm
|
316
|
Music has harmony like the soul, and serves to reorder disharmony within us
|
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 8. The Arts / b. Literature
16565
|
Without the surface decoration, poetry shows only appearances and nothing of what is real
|
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 3. Artistic Representation
2160
|
Representation is two steps removed from the truth
|
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 6. Value of Art
2135
|
Truth is closely related to proportion
|
2163
|
Artists should be excluded from a law-abiding community, because they destroy the rational mind
|
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 7. Art and Morality
297
|
What is fine is the parent of goodness
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / a. Preconditions for ethics
168
|
To understand morality requires a soul
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / b. Defining ethics
2141
|
I suggest that we forget about trying to define goodness itself for the time being
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / d. Ethical theory
302
|
What knowledge is required to live well?
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / a. Idealistic ethics
1869
|
The good cannot be expressed in words, but imprints itself upon the soul [Celsus]
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / c. Ethical intuitionism
7503
|
Plato never refers to examining the conscience [Foucault]
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature
143
|
The two ruling human principles are the natural desire for pleasure, and an acquired love of virtue
|
24260
|
The best part of the soul raises us up to the heavens, to which we are naturally akin
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / f. Übermensch
4115
|
Plato found that he could only enforce rational moral justification by creating an authoritarian society [Williams,B]
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / g. Will to power
122
|
Moral rules are made by the weak members of humanity
|
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / j. Ethics by convention
2173
|
As religion and convention collapsed, Plato sought morals not just in knowledge, but in the soul [Williams,B]
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / b. Fact and value
4547
|
Plato measured the degree of reality by the degree of value [Nietzsche]
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 1. Nature of Value / f. Ultimate value
24286
|
Perceiving true beauty leads to truth, and hence to goodness
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / b. Successful function
2095
|
If something has a function then it has a state of being good
|
2094
|
A thing's function is what it alone can do, or what it does better than other things
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / d. Health
2129
|
Goodness is mental health, badness is mental sickness
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / e. Death
24259
|
Death in old age is a natural end, untroubled, and more pleasure than distress
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / f. Altruism
1590
|
The just man does not harm his enemies, but benefits everyone
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / g. Love
14177
|
Love assists men in achieving merit and happiness
|
176
|
Love follows beauty, wisdom is exceptionally beautiful, so love follows wisdom
|
179
|
Love is desire for perpetual possession of the good
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / h. Fine deeds
139
|
A good person is bound to act well, and this brings happiness
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / i. Self-interest
128
|
Is it natural to simply indulge our selfish desires?
|
12
|
If we were invisible, would the just man become like the unjust?
|
2168
|
Clever criminals do well at first, but not in the long run
|
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / j. Evil
202
|
No one willingly and knowingly embraces evil
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / a. Form of the Good
295
|
The good is beautiful
|
4007
|
For Plato we abandon honour and pleasure once we see the Good [Taylor,C]
|
2144
|
Goodness makes truth and knowledge possible
|
2147
|
The sight of goodness leads to all that is fine and true and right
|
2137
|
The main aim is to understand goodness, which gives everything its value and advantage
|
2143
|
Good has the same role in the world of knowledge as the sun has in the physical world
|
2164
|
Bad is always destructive, where good preserves and benefits
|
2139
|
Every person, and every activity, aims at the good
|
24239
|
Perfect goodness always produces perfect beauty
|
391
|
We could express the Good as beauty, proportion and truth combined
|
392
|
Neither intellect nor pleasure are the good, because they are not perfect and self-sufficient
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / b. Types of good
9274
|
Plato's legacy to European thought was the Good, the Beautiful and the True [Gray]
|
393
|
Good first, then beauty, then reason, then knowledge, then pleasure [PG]
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / d. Good as virtue
177
|
If a person is good they will automatically become happy
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / e. Good as knowledge
301
|
Only knowledge of some sort is good
|
2138
|
Pleasure is commonly thought to be the good, though the more ingenious prefer knowledge
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / f. Good as pleasure
136
|
Good should be the aim of pleasant activity, not the other way round
|
4322
|
In slaking our thirst the goodness of the action and the pleasure are clearly separate
|
94
|
Pleasure is better with the addition of intelligence, so pleasure is not the good [Aristotle]
|
2070
|
Even people who think pleasure is the good admit that there are bad pleasures
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / g. Consequentialism
265
|
An action is only just if it is performed by someone with a just character and outlook
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / h. Good as benefit
193
|
Some things are good even though they are not beneficial to men
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / i. Moral luck
269
|
Attempted murder is like real murder, but we should respect the luck which avoided total ruin
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 2. Happiness / b. Eudaimonia
14178
|
Happiness is secure enjoyment of what is good and beautiful
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 2. Happiness / d. Routes to happiness
24223
|
Admirable people are happy, and unjust people are miserable
|
17947
|
Plato decided that the virtuous and happy life was the philosophical life [Nehamas]
|
332
|
One should exercise both the mind and the body, to avoid imbalance
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 3. Pleasure / a. Nature of pleasure
385
|
Some of the pleasures and pains we feel are false
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 3. Pleasure / b. Types of pleasure
2157
|
Nice smells are intensive, have no preceding pain, and no bad after-effect
|
387
|
A small pure pleasure is much finer than a large one contaminated with pain
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 3. Pleasure / c. Value of pleasure
200
|
People tend only to disapprove of pleasure if it leads to pain, or prevents future pleasure
|
197
|
Some pleasures are not good, and some pains are not evil
|
2134
|
Philosophers are concerned with totally non-physical pleasures
|
157
|
Most pleasure is release from pain, and is therefore not worthwhile
|
371
|
Reason, memory, truth and wisdom are far better than pleasure, for those who can attain them
|
376
|
Would you prefer a life of pleasure without reason, or one of reason without pleasure?
|
379
|
The good must be sufficient and perfect, and neither intellect nor pleasure are that
|
373
|
Pleasure is certainly very pleasant, but it doesn't follow that all pleasures are good
|
382
|
It is unlikely that the gods feel either pleasure or pain
|
240
|
It would be strange if the gods rewarded those who experienced the most pleasure in life
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 3. Pleasure / d. Sources of pleasure
2156
|
There are three types of pleasure, for reason, for spirit and for appetite
|
24257
|
Unnatural modifications are painful, and restoring normality is pleasant
|
381
|
We feel pleasure when we approach our natural state of harmony
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 3. Pleasure / e. Role of pleasure
134
|
Good and bad people seem to experience equal amounts of pleasure and pain
|
361
|
It is a mistake to think that the most violent pleasure or pain is therefore the truest reality
|
328
|
Everything that takes place naturally is pleasant
|
386
|
Intense pleasure and pain are not felt in a good body, but in a worthless one
|
22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 3. Pleasure / f. Dangers of pleasure
4319
|
In a fool's mind desire is like a leaky jar, insatiable in its desires, and order and contentment are better
|
132
|
If happiness is the satisfaction of desires, then a life of scratching itches should be happiness
|
2158
|
Pleasure-seekers desperately seek illusory satisfaction, like filling a leaky vessel
|
2123
|
Excessive pleasure deranges people, making the other virtues impossible
|
264
|
The conquest of pleasure is the noblest victory of all
|
23. Ethics / A. Egoism / 1. Ethical Egoism
2166
|
We should behave well even if invisible, for the health of the mind
|
1636
|
Wickedness is an illness of the soul
|
23. Ethics / A. Egoism / 2. Hedonism
130
|
Is the happiest state one of sensual, self-indulgent freedom?
|
377
|
If you lived a life of maximum pleasure, would you still be lacking anything?
|
378
|
A life of pure pleasure with no intellect is the life of a jellyfish
|
388
|
Hedonists must say that someone in pain is bad, even if they are virtuous
|
23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 1. Contractarianism
5
|
Justice is merely the interests of the stronger party
|
19946
|
Morality is a compromise, showing restraint, to avoid suffering wrong without compensation
|
2097
|
Isn't it better to have a reputation for goodness than to actually be good?
|
23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 3. Promise Keeping
7
|
Surely you don't return a borrowed weapon to a mad friend?
|
23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 4. Value of Authority
8
|
Is right just the interests of the powerful?
|
23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 5. Free Rider
15
|
Sin first, then sacrifice to the gods from the proceeds
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / a. Nature of virtue
13785
|
'Arete' signifies lack of complexity and a free-flowing soul
|
6015
|
Plato, unusually, said that theoretical and practical wisdom are inseparable [Kraut]
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / c. Motivation for virtue
120
|
Should we avoid evil because it will bring us bad consequences?
|
170
|
The only slavery which is not dishonourable is slavery to excellence
|
182
|
The first step on the right path is the contemplation of physical beauty when young
|
5944
|
For Plato, virtue is its own reward [Lawson-Tancred]
|
144
|
Reason impels us towards excellence, which teaches us self-control
|
4332
|
Virtue is a concord of reason and emotion, with pleasure and pain trained to correct ends
|
248
|
A serious desire for moral excellence is very rare indeed
|
253
|
Every crime is the result of excessive self-love
|
263
|
The only worthwhile life is one devoted to physical and moral perfection
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / d. Teaching virtue
189
|
If we punish wrong-doers, it shows that we believe virtue can be taught
|
188
|
Socrates: I do not believe virtue can be taught
|
204
|
Socrates is contradicting himself in claiming virtue can't be taught, but that it is knowledge
|
1927
|
It seems that virtue is neither natural nor taught, but is a divine gift
|
1913
|
Is virtue taught, or achieved by practice, or a natural aptitude, or what?
|
1921
|
If virtue is a type of knowledge then it ought to be taught
|
235
|
Virtue is the aim of all laws
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / e. Character
118
|
I would rather be a victim of crime than a criminal
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / f. The Mean
305
|
Something which lies midway between two evils is better than either of them
|
281
|
The arts produce good and beautiful things by preserving the mean
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / j. Unity of virtue
1916
|
Even if virtues are many and various, they must have something in common to make them virtues
|
1918
|
How can you know part of virtue without knowing the whole?
|
2155
|
True goodness requires mental unity and harmony
|
277
|
The Guardians must aim to discover the common element in the four cardinal virtues
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / a. Virtues
2126
|
A good community necessarily has wisdom, courage, self-discipline and morality
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / b. Temperance
140
|
Self-indulgent desire makes friendship impossible, because it makes a person incapable of co-operation
|
131
|
If absence of desire is happiness, then nothing is happier than a stone or a corpse
|
24266
|
Normal temperance - scorn and control of desires - needs contempt of the body, and wisdom
|
24267
|
Well-ordering is not temperance; it is just fear of pleasure becoming excessive
|
254
|
Excessive laughter and tears must be avoided
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / c. Justice
129
|
Do most people praise self-discipline and justice because they are too timid to gain their own pleasure?
|
119
|
A criminal is worse off if he avoids punishment
|
23562
|
If the parts of our soul do their correct work, we will be just people, and will act justly
|
2092
|
Simonides said morality is helping one's friends and harming one's enemies
|
266
|
Injustice is the mastery of the soul by bad feelings, even if they do not lead to harm
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / d. Courage
293
|
Being unafraid (perhaps through ignorance) and being brave are two different things
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / b. Health
4320
|
The popular view is that health is first, good looks second, and honest wealth third
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / c. Wealth
351
|
War aims at the acquisition of wealth, because we are enslaved to the body
|
242
|
The best people are produced where there is no excess of wealth or poverty
|
256
|
Virtue and great wealth are incompatible
|
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / d. Friendship
294
|
People say that friendship exists only between good men
|
156
|
Bad people are never really friends with one another
|
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 4. Boredom
2912
|
Plato is boring [Nietzsche]
|
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / b. The natural life
19889
|
People need society because the individual has too many needs
|
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 1. Purpose of a State
137
|
As with other things, a good state is organised and orderly
|
19890
|
All exchanges in a community are for mutual benefit
|
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 2. State Legitimacy / c. Social contract
10
|
After a taste of mutual harm, men make a legal contract to avoid it
|
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 4. Citizenship
23561
|
People doing their jobs properly is the fourth cardinal virtue for a city
|
24234
|
I have discussed the best constitution, and the kind of citizens it requires
|
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / c. Despotism
245
|
Totalitarian states destroy friendships and community spirit
|
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / d. Elites
2149
|
Reluctant rulers make a better and more unified administration
|
2132
|
Only rule by philosophers of integrity can keep a community healthy
|
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / a. Nature of democracy
22559
|
Democracy is the worst of good constitutions, but the best of bad constitutions [Aristotle]
|
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / c. Direct democracy
141
|
A good citizen won't be passive, but will redirect the needs of the state
|
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / a. Communitarianism
2131
|
Is there anything better for a community than to produce excellent people?
|
239
|
Education in virtue produces citizens who are active but obedient
|
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 12. Feminism
24248
|
The god said human nature comes as the superior male, and inferior female
|
24235
|
Female Guardians will have identical duties to the men
|
25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 1. Grounds of equality
123
|
Do most people like equality because they are second-rate?
|
1402
|
Friendship is impossible between master and slave, even if they are made equal
|
262
|
Men and women should qualify equally for honours on merit
|
25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 4. Economic equality
124
|
Does nature imply that it is right for better people to have greater benefits?
|
25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 1. Basis of Rights
236
|
Sound laws achieve the happiness of those who observe them
|
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 1. Basis of justice
259
|
Justice is granting the equality which unequals deserve
|
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / a. Aims of education
322
|
Intelligence is the result of rational teaching; true opinion can result from irrational persuasion
|
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / b. Education principles
2152
|
Dialectic is the highest and most important part of the curriculum
|
2148
|
To gain knowledge, turn away from the world of change, and focus on true goodness
|
331
|
Bad governments prevent discussion, and discourage the study of virtue
|
257
|
Mathematics has the widest application of any subject on the curriculum
|
260
|
Control of education is the key office of state, and should go to the best citizen
|
238
|
Children's games should channel their pleasures into adult activity
|
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / c. Teaching
2153
|
Compulsory intellectual work never remains in the mind
|
222
|
Only a great person can understand the essence of things, and an even greater person can teach it
|
1638
|
Didactic education is hard work and achieves little
|
4331
|
Education is channelling a child's feelings into the right course before it understands why
|
250
|
The best way to educate the young is not to rebuke them, but to set a good example
|
25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 4. Suicide
24262
|
Sometimes, and for some people, death is better than life
|
24263
|
We belong to the gods, and only kill ourselves if they indicate some necessity
|
25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 5. Sexual Morality
298
|
While sex is very pleasant, it should be in secret, as it looks contemptible
|
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 1. Nature
311
|
The cosmos must be unique, because it resembles the creator, who is unique
|
310
|
The creator of the cosmos had no envy, and so wanted things to be as like himself as possible
|
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 2. Natural Purpose / a. Final purpose
275
|
Creation is not for you; you exist for the sake of creation
|
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / a. Greek matter
24249
|
The elements seem able to transmute into each other
|
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / d. The unlimited
225
|
The unlimited has no shape and is endless
|
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / e. The One
233
|
Some things do not partake of the One
|
2062
|
The only movement possible for the One is in space or in alteration
|
231
|
Everything partakes of the One in some way
|
24296
|
The one is completely unmoving, because no types of motion are possible for it
|
24231
|
The One is timeless, has no being or identity, and cannot be known
|
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / f. Ancient elements
24243
|
The world-maker used the four elements and their properties in entirety
|
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / g. Atomism
325
|
We must consider the four basic shapes as too small to see, only becoming visible in large numbers
|
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 1. Causation
327
|
There are two types of cause, the necessary and the divine
|
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 2. Types of cause
13156
|
Fancy being unable to distinguish a cause from its necessary background conditions!
|
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / a. Scientific essentialism
24277
|
Snow ceases to be snow if it admits the hot; it is the same if fire admits the cold
|
27. Natural Reality / A. Classical Physics / 1. Mechanics / a. Explaining movement
24255
|
Motion needs differing moved and mover, so it originates in diversity
|
27. Natural Reality / C. Space / 1. Void
24256
|
The spherical universe composed of four elements squeezes out every bit of void
|
27. Natural Reality / C. Space / 2. Space
24253
|
Space is eternal and indestructible, but is only known by barely credible reasoning
|
27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 1. Nature of Time / d. Time as measure
24245
|
The god created eternity in the sequence of the universe, and its image we call 'time'
|
27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 2. Passage of Time / a. Experience of time
314
|
Heavenly movements gave us the idea of time, and caused us to inquire about the heavens
|
27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 3. Parts of Time / a. Beginning of time
1526
|
Almost everyone except Plato thinks that time could not have been generated [Aristotle]
|
312
|
Time came into existence with the heavens, so that there will be a time when they can be dissolved
|
27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 3. Parts of Time / b. Instants
24300
|
The instant has no time, but change moves to rest in an instant
|
27. Natural Reality / E. Cosmology / 1. Cosmology
369
|
If the Earth is spherical and in the centre, it is kept in place by universal symmetry, not by force
|
309
|
Clearly the world is good, so its maker must have been concerned with the eternal, not with change
|
27. Natural Reality / E. Cosmology / 3. The Beginning
148
|
If the prime origin is destroyed, it will not come into being again out of anything
|
308
|
If the cosmos is an object of perception then it must be continually changing
|
24238
|
The god found chaos, and led it to superior order
|
273
|
Movement is transmitted through everything, and it must have started with self-generated motion
|
27. Natural Reality / E. Cosmology / 10. Multiverse
24242
|
Is there a plurality (or even an infinity) of universes. No, because the model makes it unique
|
27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 5. Species
13779
|
The natural offspring of a lion is called a 'lion' (but what about the offspring of a king?)
|
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 2. Divine Nature
13783
|
Even the gods love play
|
279
|
Only divine things can always stay the same, and bodies are not like that
|
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 3. Divine Perfections
175
|
Gods are not lovers of wisdom, because they are already wise
|
152
|
The mind of God is fully satisfied and happy with a vision of reality and truth
|
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 4. Divine Contradictions
2630
|
If Plato's God is immaterial, he will lack consciousness, wisdom, pleasure and movement, which are essential to him [Cicero]
|
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / b. Euthyphro question
337
|
It seems that the gods love things because they are pious, rather than making them pious by loving them
|
336
|
Is what is pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because they love it? (the 'Euthyphro Question')
|
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / c. God is the good
2058
|
God must be the epitome of goodness, and we can only approach a divine state by being as good as possible
|
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / d. God decrees morality
8004
|
In 'The Laws', to obey the law is to be obey god [MacIntyre]
|
28. God / B. Proving God / 2. Proofs of Reason / a. Ontological Proof
234
|
We couldn't discuss the non-existence of the One without knowledge of it
|
28. God / B. Proving God / 3. Proofs of Evidence / a. Cosmological Proof
21257
|
Self-generating motion is clearly superior to all other kinds of motion
|
21258
|
The only possible beginning for the endless motions of reality is something self-generated
|
21261
|
Self-moving soul has to be the oldest thing there is
|
28. God / B. Proving God / 3. Proofs of Evidence / b. Teleological Proof
274
|
Soul must be the cause of all the opposites, such as good and evil or beauty and ugliness
|
21263
|
If all the motions of nature reflect calculations of reason, then the best kind of soul must direct it
|
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 3. Deism
14
|
If the gods are non-existent or indifferent, why bother to deceive them?
|
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 4. God Reflects Humanity
150
|
We cannot conceive of God, so we have to think of Him as an immortal version of ourselves
|
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 5. Atheism
149
|
There isn't a single reason for positing the existence of immortal beings
|
278
|
If astronomical movements are seen as necessary instead of by divine will, this leads to atheism
|
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 1. Animism
21265
|
The heavens must be full of gods, controlling nature either externally or from within
|
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 2. Greek Polytheism
24247
|
The universe has four types of living being: gods, birds, fish, and land animals
|
29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 4. Dualist Religion
21262
|
There must be at least two souls controlling the cosmos, one doing good, the other the opposite
|
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / a. Immortality
24268
|
It is a common fear that the soul may entirely disperse immediately after death
|
24274
|
Critias thinks soul survives death into another body, but that process may still terminate
|
363
|
Whether the soul pre-exists our body depends on whether it contains the ultimate standard of reality
|
24273
|
Simmias fears that the beautiful soul is attunement of the body, and dies with it
|
146
|
Soul is always in motion, so it must be self-moving and immortal
|
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / b. Soul
2165
|
Something is unlikely to be immortal if it is imperfectly made from diverse parts
|
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / d. Heaven
24265
|
After death I expect to join the wise gods, and good men
|
13
|
Is the supreme reward for virtue to be drunk for eternity?
|
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 3. Problem of Evil / a. Problem of Evil
2057
|
There must always be some force of evil ranged against good
|
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 3. Problem of Evil / d. Natural Evil
2120
|
God is responsible for the good things, but we must look elsewhere for the cause of the bad things
|
24237
|
The divine organiser of the world wanted it to have as little imperfection as possible
|