Lecture 7: Platonism and Empiricism

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts in the lecture on Platonism and Empiricism.

Platonism

A philosophical viewpoint that asserts the reality of abstract Forms or Absolutes, which represent true knowledge, as opposed to the material world.

Empiricism

A philosophical view that emphasizes knowledge derived from sensory experience and the idea that the mind is a blank slate at birth.

Theory of Forms

Socrates' idea that physical objects are merely shadows of higher, unchanging realities, known as Forms.

Blank Slate

The empiricist concept that the mind starts without inherent ideas and forms concepts through experiences.

Real Nature

The objective standard that defines what makes a thing what it is, allowing for its identification and classification.

Four Categories of Things

A framework distinguishing between artificial, natural non-living, natural living, and immaterial things.

Absolute

An objective standard of reality, such as Absolute Beauty or Absolute Goodness, which exists independently of sensory perception.

Allegory of the Cave

A metaphor used by Plato to illustrate the difference between the perceived reality (shadows) and the true reality (the objects causing the shadows).

Innate Ideas

The concept in Platonism that the mind possesses pre-existing knowledge that is recollected rather than learned anew.

Generalization

In empiricism, the process of forming concepts based on common features observed in specific instances.

Relativism

The philosophical view that concepts may lack objective existence and can be subjective based on individual or societal beliefs.

Derivatives of Reality

The idea that what is perceived through senses is a less true form of a higher reality that cannot be directly perceived.