Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to Philosophy

Lecture 2:Plato

Logic and Arguments

Quiz

A(n) ___________ argument is an argument which Is valid and which contains only true premises.

A(n) ___________ argument is invalid if and only if it is necessary that if all the premises are true, then the conclusion is true.

A(n) ___________ argument is a sound argument that is recognized to be such in virtue of the presentation of its structure. Cogent Sound Valid

Identify the three metaphors from Plato that the authored discussed.

Plato

Three Metaphors

The Sun The Divided Line The Cave

The Sun

The Argument

I see something; how is this possible? We need:

Some faculty that allows vision (eye and brain) An external object to see A source (light) that creates the conditions of vision

This applies more or less to concepts and higher realities. For us to think about a square (a concept) we require:

A faculty (soul) An external object (the concept of squareness) Something that grounds this thought (the Idea or Form of a square)

The physical Sun is the grounds of observable reality The Good is the grounds of all incorporeal reality

The Divided Line

Belief

Shadows/Phantasms

The Forms

Contemplative Reason

Knowledge

Physical Objects

Understanding

Concepts

The Argument

Follows from the discussion of the Sun metaphor… Some things we see are illusions and are the domain of opinion. Some things we see are accessible by all and considered real (in

the sense of physical location), these are in the domain of belief. Some things we gain access to through critical thinking and logic

(e.g., concepts, definitions, etc.) and these are the domain of logical analysis.

Some things are only accessible by moving beyond the base matter or definition of something and perceiving its Form. These are in the domain of contemplative reason.

The Cave

The Journey

We begin as people who see shadows of real things. We move to looking at the things casting the shadows. We move higher by looking for definitions and concepts of the objects we perceive. We exit the cave by looking for the abstract truth behind concepts. This is a progression from little or no truth/reality to the fullest and highest

truth/reality. We perceive by virtue of our innate faculties (organs, souls) and the source of our

perceptions (light, the Good) Moving from the lower stages to the higher stages…

Is painful and uncomfortable Requires a guide and coach Gives deeper and richer clarity as one progresses

Bad Plato

Plato’s political philosophy is often criticized because of his rather prejudiced perception of human ability in general.

He proposed that people are born with a certain capacity for advancing out of the cave.

A person would accept his/her social role according to whatever capacity they had for Reality.

This leads to a deep-seated elitism and the invention of a “philosopher king” who rules authoritatively over the “lesser” humans.

Good Plato

Deeply influential on primitive Christianity "The safest general characterization of the

European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato” (A. N. Whitehead)

The Matrix is more or less the allegory of the cave reworked for a modern technological era.

Mumford and Sons – “the Cave”

Arguments

An argument is a sequence of two or more propositions of which one is designated as the conclusion and all the others of which are premises.

Proposition: a statement that expresses an opinion

Premise: a statement (proposition) from which a conclusion is drawn

Example

All humans are mortals.Socrates is a human._____________________Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

Premise 1Premise 2

Conclusion

Valid Arguments

An argument is valid if and only if it is necessary that if all the premises are true, then the conclusion is true.

In English: For an argument to be valid its conclusion must follow from its premises.

Examples

I am an astronautAll astronauts have blonde hair---------------------I have blonde hairNotice that the premises can be true or false, but so long as the premises entail the conclusion it is a valid argument.

Entail: to involve something as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence.

Sound Arguments

A sound argument is an argument which is valid and contains only true premises.

Its conclusion must follow from its premises

The premises must be proved to be true themselves.

Consider the argument:All humans are mortal.Socrates is a human.-------------------------Socrates is mortalFor this argument to be sound it must be proven an accepted that (1) all humans are mortal and (2) that Socrates is a human.

Because people disagree on what is true and untrue almost as a fact of human nature, a universally recognized sound argument is rare to come by.

Cogent Arguments

A cogent argument is a sound argument that is recognized to be such in virtue of the presentation of its structure and content.

The cogency of an argument depends on (1) the audience it is presented to and (2) the form the argument is presented in.

Consider a sermon: A sermon can be considered an argument of

sorts, they are intended to be persuasive, but sermons are rarely constructed as a set of premises and a conclusion.

Someone who is un-churched might not be convinced by a sermon because they are not used to receiving new information this way. Therefore a sermon is not a cogent argument to this person, but it is (usually) cogent to the congregation.

It is possible to distill most sermons into the form of a logical argument. If we did that, it is likely that un-churched people might recognize it as cogent (so long as they also agree it is sound).

So it all depends on who your audience is and how you say it.