The process of learning is recollection and the body plays a central role. In Plato’s “Phaedo,” he makes an argument through the character Socrates that we possess innate knowledge at birth and it is recovered through our sense perception of material particulars.
To begin, recollection is not simply remembering an experience. Particularly, Socrates makes the assertion that “… when a man sees or hears or in some other way perceives one thing and not only knows that thing but also thinks of another thing of which the knowledge is not the same but different, are we not right to say that he recollects the second thing that comes into his mind?” (Plato 111). By this, Socrates defines recollection as something coming to mind when we perceive something …show more content…
As Socrates puts it, “… before we began to see or hear or otherwise perceive, we must have possessed knowledge of the Equal itself if we were about to refer to our sense perceptions of equal objects to it, and realised that all of them were eager to be like it, but were inferior” (Plato 113). To clarify, what Socrates claims is in order to recognise the forms in material particulars we must have prior knowledge of them. We must have gained the knowledge of the forms before we are able to use our sense perception as that is the only way we can perceive material particulars. In fact, Socrates claims “… if we had this knowledge, we knew before birth …” (Plato 113). Socrates is drawing the only logical conclusion if we possessed knowledge before sense perception, then we must have acquired it before birth. Therefore, we must be born with the knowledge of the …show more content…
Socrates asserts “… this conception of ours derives from seeing or touching or some other sense perception, and cannot come into our mind in any other way, for all these senses, I say, are the same” (Plato 113). The conception Socrates refers to is the recognition of the forms in material particulars, seeing that all particulars are striving in one way or another to like a perfect form. The sensory organs of the body are the only link between the mind and the world of material particulars. Socrates claims that the body is central to understanding material particulars and the forms. The way in which the forms manifest themselves within material particulars makes it easier for us to understand them. For example, assuming one recognises the form of justice within a set of scales, one can deduct certain qualities of justice, such as balance. A person can, however, come to the same conclusion through reason alone, it is through material particulars one can more easily understand the forms. Without sense perception, it would be impossible to perceive material particulars, to recognise the forms in them, and to understand the way in which the forms manifest themselves within
To begin, recollection is not simply remembering an experience. Particularly, Socrates makes the assertion that “… when a man sees or hears or in some other way perceives one thing and not only knows that thing but also thinks of another thing of which the knowledge is not the same but different, are we not right to say that he recollects the second thing that comes into his mind?” (Plato 111). By this, Socrates defines recollection as something coming to mind when we perceive something …show more content…
As Socrates puts it, “… before we began to see or hear or otherwise perceive, we must have possessed knowledge of the Equal itself if we were about to refer to our sense perceptions of equal objects to it, and realised that all of them were eager to be like it, but were inferior” (Plato 113). To clarify, what Socrates claims is in order to recognise the forms in material particulars we must have prior knowledge of them. We must have gained the knowledge of the forms before we are able to use our sense perception as that is the only way we can perceive material particulars. In fact, Socrates claims “… if we had this knowledge, we knew before birth …” (Plato 113). Socrates is drawing the only logical conclusion if we possessed knowledge before sense perception, then we must have acquired it before birth. Therefore, we must be born with the knowledge of the …show more content…
Socrates asserts “… this conception of ours derives from seeing or touching or some other sense perception, and cannot come into our mind in any other way, for all these senses, I say, are the same” (Plato 113). The conception Socrates refers to is the recognition of the forms in material particulars, seeing that all particulars are striving in one way or another to like a perfect form. The sensory organs of the body are the only link between the mind and the world of material particulars. Socrates claims that the body is central to understanding material particulars and the forms. The way in which the forms manifest themselves within material particulars makes it easier for us to understand them. For example, assuming one recognises the form of justice within a set of scales, one can deduct certain qualities of justice, such as balance. A person can, however, come to the same conclusion through reason alone, it is through material particulars one can more easily understand the forms. Without sense perception, it would be impossible to perceive material particulars, to recognise the forms in them, and to understand the way in which the forms manifest themselves within