Week 3 — Plato: Reality and the Forms

Why this matters

A nursing student learning that a chart is not the person it describes and a marketing major asking how much a curated feed shows of the real world both meet this week's question: how does appearance differ from reality?

In plain language

Things are not always what they seem, and this week you meet Plato, who wrote his philosophy as dialogues (conversations between characters, most led by Socrates). You learn his theory of Forms (the view that perfect, unchanging patterns such as Justice and Beauty are what we truly know). You also meet his most famous story, the allegory of the cave (a story in which prisoners mistake shadows for the real world). You put his reasoning in standard form, test it with three strong objections, and hear Plato's side answer each one. No one asks you to agree with Plato; you learn to state his view fairly and to test it well.

• Already covered: Week 1's speaker, author, and translator; Week 2's standard form and validity.
• This week: Plato's dialogues, the theory of Forms, the cave, and three objections.
• How they connect: you read Plato the Week 1 way and test him with Week 2's tools.
• Where we're going next: Week 4, Knowledge I: Doubt, Reason, and Experience.

Focus

What is real, on Plato's view, and how well does his theory of Forms hold up when you test it?

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• [ ] map the cave's shadows and freed prisoner onto the theory of Forms
• [ ] put an argument for the Forms in standard form and name its form
• [ ] state one objection to the Forms and Plato's reply

To-do

Plan your week

1. Read Chapter 3 (~40–50 minutes), then the lecture and slides.
2. Work the lecture tutorial (60–90 minutes).
3. Work the practice set (15–25 minutes).
4. Do the Philosophy Workshop (about 90 minutes), the discussion, and the assignment.
5. Take the quiz.

This week's checkpoint: map the cave in two pairs and say why it is an allegory, not a history.

You've got this

Take it in order, and ask your instructor if a step snags.

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