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how can we know the nature of reality? Philosophical Foundations

5. how can we know the nature of reality? Philosophical Foundations.

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how can we know the nature of reality? Philosophical Foundations

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  1. 5 how can we know the nature of reality? Philosophical Foundations

  2. Heaven or earth? In this detail from Raphael’s School of Athens, Plato points to the heavens and Aristotle motions toward the earth. While both philosophers believed that there was an ultimate reality, they disagreed about which way to discover it. This chapter will introduce you to their debate and others. Scala/Art Resource, NY

  3. Learning Objectives 5.1 Define the words reality and truth. 5.2 Explain Plato's idea of "Two Worlds."

  4. Learning Objectives 5.3 Describe Aristotle's view that reality consists of the natural world and that this natural world follows orderly principles and laws. 5.4 Explain that Descartes was a rationalist, believing that true knowledge is produced by thinking that is reflective, logical and analytical.

  5. Chapter Overview Click on the screenshot in presentation mode to view a video philosophical foundations.

  6. 5.1 What is the Nature of Reality? • Reality refers to things the way they really are. • Truth refers to those statements that are one hundred percent accurate. • Metaphysics • Epistemology

  7. 5.1 What is the Nature of Reality? • The Milesians • Thales • Anaximander • Anaximenes • Xenophanes and Heraclitus

  8. 5.1 What is the Nature of Reality? • Parmenides • Leucippus and Democritus • Legacy of the Pre-Socratic philosophers

  9. Is there anything in life that is permanent, or is the world constantly changing? Heraclitus said, “You cannot step into the same river, for other waters are continually flowing on. Can you think of anything doesn’t change over time? Galyna Andrushko/Fotolia

  10. Heraclitus (c. 540–480 B.C.E.) The most influential of pre-Socratic philosophers; maintained all thing were in a constant state of flux and that the governing principle of the universe is what is called logos. Anastasios71/Shutterstock

  11. 5.2 Reality is the Eternal Realm of the Forms: Plato • Two worlds • What precisely are forms? • What are examples of ideal forms? • The divided line • The theory of innate ideas • Rationalism • Empiricism

  12. What are examples of ideal forms? Judges at dog shows evaluate the contestants in terms of how well they conform to a breed standard. In what other areas are “examples” judged in terms of how closely they correspond to an ideal? Getty Images

  13. Figure 5.1 Plato’s Divided Line

  14. 5.2 Reality is the Eternal Realm of the Forms: Plato • Plato, from Meno • Analyzing Plato's theory of innate ideas • The path to knowledge of reality: the Cave allegory

  15. 5.2 Reality is the Eternal Realm of the Forms: Plato • Plato, from The Republic • Analyzing Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"

  16. How is the allegory of the cave a metaphor for achieving intellectual insight and wisdom? After reading the passage from The Republic, can you describe what is happening in the painting? Catacomb of Via Latina, Rome, Italy/Bridgeman Images

  17. Are reality shows “real”? Does the media tell the “truth”? How are the images we encounter on television and in the mass media similar to Plato’s idea of a shadow puppet show? Why do some people who view television and read information sources uncritically tend to believe that what they are viewing is “real”? Recognizing that the perceptions we encounter in our daily lives are often incomplete, inaccurate, and distorted is essential to beginning our journey toward illumination. Robert Voets/Newscom

  18. 5.2 Reality is the Eternal Realm of the Forms: Plato • Inspiring ascent to the forms: the ladder of love • Plato, from Symposium • Analyzing Plato's Ladder of Love

  19. Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.) This image, believed to be of Aristotle teaching an anatomy lesson, illustrates Aristotle’s commitment to observation and his work in biology. One of the most important figures in the history of philosophy, Aristotle conceptualized the branches of philosophy and contributed to theories in logic, metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy. Bridgeman Images

  20. 5.3: Reality is the Natural World: Aristotle • Aristotle's view of Plato's metaphysical dualism • Aristotle as philosophical naturalist • Genuine knowledge • The human soul cannot be separated from the body. • We are unique because of our ability to reason.

  21. 5.3: Reality is the Natural World: Aristotle • Aristotle's two categories • Matter • Form • Hylomorphism

  22. 5.3: Reality is the Natural World: Aristotle • Entelechy • One of core concepts of Aristotle's entire philosophy • Everything in the universe has its own unique purpose to fill. • The formal element of people is the soul.

  23. Does everything in nature have a unique purpose (entelechy)? An acorn is to be an oak tree, provided that the conditions are right for its potential to be realized. Aristotle believed that everything in the universe has its own unique purpose to fulfill. Martin Novak/123 RF

  24. 5.3: Reality is the Natural World: Aristotle • The Four Causes • Material • Formal • Efficient • Final • Aristotle, from Metaphysics

  25. The Four Causes How does the process of forming an object through glassblowing illustrate Aristotle’s concept of the Four Causes? Brendan MacNeill/Alamy

  26. 5.4: Can Reality Be Known? Descartes • RenéDescartes, from Meditations on First Philosophy • Meditation I • Meditation II • Meditation III • Meditation IV • Analyzing Descartes' radical doubt

  27. Making Connections: Your Beliefs About the World • You do have a theory of knowledge, your own epistemology. • Critical thinking abilities enable you to develop the most informed beliefs and construct the most enlightened knowledge.

  28. Making Connections: Your Beliefs About the World • What exactly are "beliefs"? • Interpretation • Evaluation • Conclusion • Prediction • The beliefs you form vary tremendously in accuracy.

  29. Making Connections: Your Beliefs About the World • The beliefs you form vary tremendously in accuracy. • We work at evaluating the accuracy of our beliefs by examining the reasons or evidence that support them. • How do we assess justification?

  30. What degree of certainty? How would you go about justifying your belief that Earth is round? What degree of certainty would you give it? Dorling Kindersley

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