1. Choose one of the following and draw it.
Tiger
Monkey
Horse
Toad
Cow
Cat
Hippo

2. Learning objectives To describe what a Form is.
To explain what is meant by the Form of the Good.
To explain the relationship between Forms and the physical world.

3. How do I know a chair is a chair?
Chairs
How do I know a chair is a chair?
Look at these…

8. Think
How do I know a chair is a chair?

9. According to Plato
Plato says we have “a priori” knowledge of “chairness”.
This means a knowledge prior to our sensing or ever having sat in a chair.

10. Baby sat in chair
I am really happy sat in this chair. I know it’s a chair because I have a priori knowledge of chairness. My mum thinks that I am happy in this chair because she taught me what a chair is and pointed to it and said “chair, chair, chair”. But that’s rubbish, I don’t need a posteriori knowledge of chairness, I knew about chairness before she told me!

11. Consider beauty
With the person sitting next to you, write down a list of things you associate with ‘beauty’.
What does it mean to say something is ‘beautiful’?

12. An example
This is a photograph of French actress, Brigitte Bardot

13. This is Brigitte Bardot today..
Plato would argue that what we see in this world is the illusion, appearance, shadow of beauty.
This is because all material things are subject to time and space Therefore, beautiful women will grow old!
However, the Form of Beauty is eternal, timeless. It belongs to the transcendent realm.

14. Another example
Michelangelo did not use a model for “David” he thought deeply about the essence of “manhood” and is thought to have glimpsed it in its perfect form.

15. PLATO’S THEORY OF FORMS
For Plato there are two worlds; the eternal world and the material world.
The eternal world possesses the object of knowledge and is more real than the material world which possesses the object of opinion.
The material world is in a constant state of flux (change) and therefore it is impossible to know the truth of reality.
Perfect forms exist in the realm of ideals or forms.
Sense perceptions of material objects are simply objects of opinion, subject to constant change.

16. BEAUTY Knowledge is innate, a recollection of the perfect forms.
“Her eyes are too close together” – we can recognize that she falls short of beauty and thus understand the concept of beauty, yet we have not ever experienced a perfect example of beauty.
We have concepts of the perfect forms thus our souls must have known them before we were born (innate, ‘a priori’ knowledge) –evidence that we have immortal souls.

17. GOODNESS Goodness is the most important form.
Like the sun in the Allegory of the Cave, Good illuminates all the other forms.
Justice for example is an aspect of Goodness.

18. Plato assumes two worlds
The Finite world (our world)
Here material objects exist
(e.g. chairs)
but they are subject to change
and decay (legs drop off!).
These things conform to their
corresponding idea in the
world of the Form
The World of
The Form
Here the patterns
Or the objects and
Concepts for
The material
World exist in
A state of
Unchanging
perfection
Finite world is shadow
Of the REAL world
Of the Forms
It is the job of the philosopher to break free from the
Shackles of the finite (changing) world and find the world of
Reality in the world of the Form

19. Comparison The Material World World of the Forms
Transitory - moves in time and space
Outside of time and space. (A priori)
Relative
Real and absolute
Changing - and decaying
Unchanging
Impermanent
Permanent
Superficial
What matters most
Contradictory - are subject to opinion
No contradiction - they are not subject to opinion.
Sensory
Beyond the senses
Can be measured
Immeasurable

22. Tasks Write a paragraph about what Plato’s Forms
Read sheet and write a title for the paragraphs (the one with the dotted line)