Metaphysics

1. 1.What is metaphysics?

1.1. Aristotle Topics: being, time, ultimate causes, god and substance

1.2. The heart of the discipline. First philosophy. After (Meta) the physics

1.3. Aristotle was unhappy with the Platonic forms as separate existents

2. 4.Criticisms of form from Aristotle

2.1. Aristotle disagreed with Plato that forms are abstracted from all things

2.1.1. New vocabulary

2.2. Republic images of sun, line and cave are to metaphorical to be philosophical arguments

2.3. Third man argument: is the form of beauty itself beautiful - infinite regress of self-predicating forms

3. 3.Plato's dialogues

3.1. Forms emerge from reflections on the assumptions of Socratic inquiry

3.1.1. Research and prepare experiment

3.2. Socrates seeks definitions, forms are like definitions

3.3. Socrates character is form like as he attracts others to possess his wisdom

3.4. Socrates distinguishes between 3 states of mind: Ignorance, opinion and genuine knowledge

3.5. Language allows humans to describe forms

3.6. But where do these forms exist?!

4. 2.What is a platonic form?

4.1. A form is an idea, ideal, paradigm Abstract, intelligible, independently existing entity. They are an abstraction of ordinary things that allows them to be thought about.

4.1.1. Midterm

4.2. Forms reveal beauty , provoke and inspire love, inspire and sustain action. A form of anything is that thing 'to perfection'

4.3. Forms strengthen the will and require a lengthy emotional and intellectual preparation

4.4. Plato: The Good, The beautiful, The true, The One

4.4.1. Similar to more current Philosophy: sorts, kinds, types, explanations, properties and universals