Philosophy · Introduction and ancient philosophy. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.
Plato held that the things we sense are changing copies of eternal, perfect Forms, known by reason; the highest is the Form of the Good. The cave allegory shows this: prisoners take shadows for reality until one climbs out and sees the sun, which stands for the Good. The divided line ranks four states of mind from imagination up to reason. In the Republic the just state is ruled by philosopher-kings, with each class doing its own work.
Aristotle, Plato's pupil, denied that Forms exist apart from things: form is found in the individual thing, joined to matter. He explained things by four causes, founded formal logic with the syllogism, and placed virtue in a mean between two extremes.
Confusing the formal cause with the final cause. The formal cause is what the thing is (its shape or structure); the final cause is what it is for.
Answer: Material = oak; formal = the table's shape; efficient = the carpenter; final = dining.
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