HL 2006 Unit 1: Section A A1 Sample answer

Transcription

1 HL 2006 Unit 1: Section A A1 Sample answer From the beginning wonder has made people philosophise Investigate the accuracy of this statement with reference to the philosophical thinking of Plato. People have wondered about the nature of the world long before philosophy emerged in the 5 th Century. It is generally accepted that human beings have existed for around 40,000years. Our study of the past reveals to us how our ancestors viewed themselves and their world. This evidence from the past is evaluated by archaeologists and historians and conclusions are drawn up based on that evidence. There is significant archaeological evidence that show us mankind has wondered since before the pre-socratic era. As our ancestors lived in the prescientific age, they often had misconceptions of their world that can be proven false by scientists today. Early religious behaviour is evident in many aspects of these ancient societies. In this context religious means the way in which our ancestors attached meaning to key moments of their lives. Through rituals, structures, statues, paintings and other artefacts early societies marked these key moments. The way in which ancient societies buried the dead is only one way we see meaning being sought. This evidence of our ancestors searching for meaning shows us the way in which they wondered about life, death and the afterlife. Archaeological excavations have shown us that ancient societies created rituals around death and burial. Sometimes the dead were dressed in special clothing or buried in a special location. When people began to formally bury the dead it demonstrated the attempts by our ancestors to find meaning at difficult times. The discovery of a 25,000-30,000 year old mass grave in 1984 by Karl Maska is quite significant due to the certainty that there was a religious essence to the burial. 1

2 The word philosophy is derived from the Greek words philo meaning love and Sophia meaning knowledge. It refers to the act of setting aside time to contemplate life at a deeper level. It originates from the human observance of our universe and our attempts to understand it. According to Plato wonder is the feeling of a philosopher and philosophy begins in wonder. At multiple stages in our lives we participate in the act of questioning, what many do not realise that what they are actually doing is philosophising. Philosophy can be simply questioning how the world began or if there is a god. As I have shown the human quest for meaning has existed since the very beginning of man. It is said that philosophy emerged in Ancient Greece during the 5 th and 6 th Centuries. Athenian society flourished artistically, politically and creatively. The process of developing a basic structure for democracy began at this time. Prior to this time people responded to the complex questions of life using myths. The earliest known philosophers are known as the Natural Philosophers. The concerned themselves with how the world began and our place in the world. One natural philosopher, Thales, claimed that everything in the universe originated from water. The other natural philosophers claimed everything either came from fire, air or earth. In the 5 th Century a group of educated travelling teachers called the Sophists turned away from the typical mythological view that was used to answer these complex questions and instead explored new answers using rationalism, empiricism and logic. Following in their path, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle disregarded the myths of our ancestors and contributed to the basis of Western Philosophy. The so called Grandfather of Philosophy, Socrates, claimed the unexamined life is not worth living. It is this belief that encouraged critical and rational thinking about the meaning and purpose of life. The so called Father of Philosophy, Plato, was born in Athens in approximately 428BCE during the emergence of philosophy in Ancient Greece. He died in and around 347BCE. He was born into a wealthy and noble family that were greatly involved in politics. He himself considered a career in politics but rejected the idea after he became disillusioned with Athenian society. This came about mainly due to the treatment and execution of his teacher and friend, Socrates. As a young man Plato learned a lot from Socrates; how to think, what questions to 2

3 ask and so on. He followed Socrates devotedly from the age of 20. After Socrates execution, Plato left Athens for his own safety and travelled through Asia Minor, Egypt, Southern Italy and Greece in search of knowledge. He returned to Athens in 388BCE. Upon his return he established the first European University, the Academy. It is the earliest known school in Western civilisation and functioned for 150 years. It became an influential centre of research and produced many outstanding students. The so called Son of Philosophy, Aristotle, was amongst these gifted students, he was a member of the Academy for 20years. When Plato died, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum. In his younger days, Plato recorded a series of dialogues he recalled having with Socrates. Practically everything we know about Socrates comes from these dialogues. The Republic is one of Plato s early works. Through this series of dialogues Plato expressed his beliefs on how to create a utopian state and how this Utopian society should be run. Plato believed the system at the time was rejected the idea that every citizen should vote for their leaders. Instead he claimed the state should be governed by philosophers, like him, who would be the Guardians of the rest. He thought that true knowledge could only be found on intellect and reason, which philosophers live by. He demonstrated his Utopian theory by comparing the body to that of the state. In the analogy, the body represents the state, the head represents the rulers, the chest represents the auxiliaries and the abdomen represents the labourers. He thought that true knowledge could only be found on intellect and reason, which philosophers live by. For this reason he believed it should be philosophers who run the state. The courageous auxiliaries should be it s defenders and the labourers should provide the material and functional needs of the state. In this ideal society, people in positions of power should not be allowed to own private property or have family ties as according to Plato, these things corrupt leadership. He was way ahead of his time with regards to his outlook on a woman s involvement with the state. Plato insisted that a state that does not train and educate women is like a man who only trains his right arm. Once a woman did not participate in child bearing and housekeeping they were just as capable of ruling, according to Plato. This was a revolutionary idea at the time as women were rarely ever considered in this light. He tried to encourage Athenian society to view women as more than just weak 3

4 homemakers but instead as being equally capable of achieving political success if educated properly. The central idea to Plato s philosophy was his Theory of Forms. It is essentially based on the premise that people believe that they know things that, in truth, they do not know. He concluded that the world exists in two different forms. The first form is the world of senses or the material world. This world is a poor imitation of the real world. It is everything we touch, hear, see, taste and smell. Anything perceived through our sense is nothing but a passing shadow that is constantly changing. The second form is the real and true world, a world of perfect forms that is eternal and unchangeable. This is an authentic world of ideas and here exists perfect forms of things we know on earth. He explained that the world we live in is an illusion and not the world of forms. Plato believed only philosophers were living in the world of reason and knowledge, hence another reason why they should run the state. Everybody else is living in the world of illusion that is perceived through the senses. He reflected this belief in his understanding of beauty. According to Plato beauty in its true form is unchangeable and will never die. Plato stated society can never see the true form of beauty but only an imperfect reflection of true beauty. Plato also wrote about the Theory of Dualism. This theory states that two world s exist. One world is the concrete world. We can see and touch this world; it is right in front of us (concrete world). Secondly is the world of the imagination and perception (abstract world). Plato s allegory of the cave is used to illustrate this theory. Plato stated that just because we cannot see and object, does not mean it doesn t exist. The human body is not the same as it was one year ago, therefore it does not truly exist. In order for something to exist it must have some unchangeability in it like the soul. Plato believed a person s soul does not change and therefore it exists. He claimed that everything came from goodness. Once a person was on a journey for goodness, moving from the material world to the spiritual world, then truth and justice would follow. The movement away from the concrete world of illusions and senses, towards the abstract world allowed a person to experience the two forms. He explored metaphysics by concerning himself with how human beings should live. He tried to understand reality and how we perceive it. Plato s focus on the meaning of life and distrust of the senses 4

5 lead to his theory of ideas. He reckoned humans were dual creatures connected to the World of Forms by the immortal soul that has previously existed in the abstract world. When man is born the soul is bound by the senses in the concrete and material world. All that remains is a dim recollection of the abstract world of ideas as result of our prior existence in this world. The ordinary people person struggles to see past the illusions created by the senses and only ever witness an imperfect shadow of the more perfect world. By detaching yourself from the senses; the world of ideas can be seen. This ability is one that only a philosopher possesses. The Cave is an allegorical story used to illustrate the Theory of Dualism and reflects his thinking on the importance of ideas. In the allegory, Plato compares those people who are not aware of the existence of the two realities to prisoners chained in a cave. Their hands, feet and heads are tied by chains so they cannot look around. A fire burns behind them but all they can see is the flickering shadows reflected on the wall of the cave in front of them. For the prisoners these shadows are their reality. In between the fire and the prisoners, there is a parapet. Puppeteers walk along this parapet casting shadows on the wall of the cave using real objects. The prisoners cannot see the behind them, therefore cannot see the real objects. All they see and hear are the shadows and echoes cast by objects they do not see. The prisoners mistake the shadows as reality as they have never seen the puppets. The shadows are created by the puppeteers who move objects in front of the fire. When one prisoner escapes from his chains, he turns around and sees the real world. At first he is confused and distressed. As he walks towards the entrance of the cave he is agitated because he is not yet used to the sunlight. As the prisoner grows accustomed to it he begins to see the real world and comes to understand that the life he perceived in the cave was merely an imitation of the real world. He returns to the cave and attempts to enlighten the other prisoners whom are his friends. The prisoner who has escaped is not welcomed by the others, but instead is dismissed. He risks the possibility of death as the other prisoners do not like him questioning their illusion of reality. In the story of the cave, the prisoners represent society and the prisoner who escapes are the philosophers. Some claim the prisoner represents Socrates. It can be said that like the prisoner who escaped, Socrates attempted to enlighten Athenian society about the flaws it had but only ended up being accused of corrupting the youth. As a result Socrates was executed. 5

6 From the beginning mankind has wondered. From this wonder we philosophise. From philosophising we form different responses. Overall Plato believed the real world is the philosopher s world. The ordinary person in society struggles to see past this as they are ruled by their senses. Only a person who investigates and questions life can learn what s behind the illusions. The philosopher can live in the world of forms as he can make independent judgements that are detached from his senses. The time I have discussed is only the beginning of Western philosophy and rational thought. This time has had a massive impact on the way people see the world and question it. It marked the beginning of using rationalism and logic to understand the world around us. A student of Plato, Aristotle was influenced by his works. Even further down the line, St.Augustine of Hippo was too influenced by Plato s philosophical thought. Plato may have been greatly impacted when he reflected upon his travelling experiences. By setting up his own school, Plato has even impacted third level university system today. His teachings could be heard by large crowds that gathered in the Lyseum as it was open to the public. By primarily concerning himself with people and their place in the world he allowed society to look beyond their typical mythological beliefs and to question the teachings of the preceding generations. 6