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LESSON 4 Knowledge Wisdom and Opinion

Plato distinguishes between opinion and truth/knowledge. He believes that through philosophical inquiry and contemplation, one can ascend from the cave of opinions and illusions to gain true knowledge of ideal forms. Plato outlines two levels of knowledge - noesis which involves grasping perfect knowledge of forms through intellect, and dianoia which relies on abstraction and hypotheses from the physical world. The goal is wisdom, attained by remembering the soul's pre-existence and contemplating the ideal form of the good.

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Edward Belen
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935 views

LESSON 4 Knowledge Wisdom and Opinion

Plato distinguishes between opinion and truth/knowledge. He believes that through philosophical inquiry and contemplation, one can ascend from the cave of opinions and illusions to gain true knowledge of ideal forms. Plato outlines two levels of knowledge - noesis which involves grasping perfect knowledge of forms through intellect, and dianoia which relies on abstraction and hypotheses from the physical world. The goal is wisdom, attained by remembering the soul's pre-existence and contemplating the ideal form of the good.

Uploaded by

Edward Belen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Knowledge,

Wisdom and
Opinion
Learning Objectives:

Distinguish opinion from truth


Analyze situations that show the difference
between opinion and truth
Realize that the methods of philosophy lead
to wisdom and truth
Plato’s metaphysical system
WORLD OF FORMS AND IDEAS

GOOD
Abstract WORLD SOUL
PERFECT
KNOWLEDGE
Mathematical

Direct Contact
Material objects

MAN
 The pursuit of knowledge is connected with wisdom.
 The soul of every man possesses the power of learning the
truth and the organ to see it with and just as one would have
turn the whole body around in order that the eye should see
light instead of darkness, so the entire soul must be turned
away from changing world until its eye can bear to
contemplate reality and that supreme splendor called GOOD.

PLATO’S ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE


This process of enlightenment of the soul or the
mind’s eye represents its ascent from the world of
opinion inside the cave with its beliefs and
illusions, to the world of real knowledge where
the real objects of knowledge could be found, the
forms and ideas – this is Plato’s divided line.
KNOWLEDGE AND OPINION
 SENSIBLE WORLD vs INTELLIGIBLE WORLD

World World
of of
experience True knowledge
KNOWLEDGE AND OPINION
 SENSIBLE WORLD vs INTELLIGIBLE WORLD
Basis of
World OPINION
opinion eikasia
of
Belief and illusion
experience BASIS FOR REAL
KNOWLEDGE
Belief or conviction, or pistis
Reality as it appears to us

Lower type in Plato’s allegory COMMONSENSICAL VIEW


PLATO’S TWO LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE
 REASON or NOESIS = USING THE INTELLECT
 DIANOIA or UNDERSTANDING= USING SCIENTIFIC,
MATHEMATICAL or ABSTRACT HYPOTHESIS

NOESIS is higher than DIANOIA- because it deals with grasping of complete or


perfect knowledge of the forms and ideas.
This knowledge is not dependent on the physical world, or the world of senses.
This is the knowledge that is achieved through contemplation.
“The unexamined life is not
worth living.”
-Socrates

Meant to emphasize the importance of contemplation in order to remember the


perfect knowledge that the soul knew before it joined the body.

The idea of goodness which is the key towards the attainment of wisdom.
PLATO’S TWO LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE
 REASON or NOESIS = USING THE INTELLECT
 DIANOIA or UNDERSTANDING= USING SCIENTIFIC,
MATHEMATICAL or ABSTRACT HYPOTHESIS

DIANOIA has to do with the lower type of knowledge.


It relies on some assumptions, hypothesis, and imagery from the
physical and sensible world.

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