Plato And Charles Peirce: The Meaning Of Truth, Knowledge And Knowledge

947 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Short note on the nature of truth

For many years humans have pursued the meaning of truth, knowledge and understanding. For many this pursuit of understanding the meaning of truth doesn’t end until one finds a “truth” that is nourishing to them. Even if this is the case one may choose to look for an alternate truth that may be more satisfactory to them. This pursuit of truth does not always have to follow the same path as there may be different ideas for everyone on how truth is actually obtained and which is a better way to obtain the truth is. Two philosophers of their time, Plato and Charles Peirce had their own methodologies and ideas on how truth and knowledge could be obtained.
One of the main differences between Plato and Peirce’s philosophies in relation to truth is that Plato always believed that the truth is the same as knowledge, meanwhile Peirce firmly believed in his idea that the knowledge can never be obtained. Plato believed that everyone has the knowledge embodied in them and the comprehension of this knowledge can only be achieved through the means of recollection. This was demonstrated through the Plato’s Meno when Socrates presented the slave boy the question of “square of a double size”. Socrates didn’t teach the slave boy on how to answer the question, he asked the slave boy a series of relevant questions and the slave boy came to the right answer through recollection. By doing this Socrates was trying to prove a point that the boy already possessed the acumen to answer the question rightly. With this philosophy of Plato, we are meant to accept the fact the truth is past-oriented. Past experiences and the universal knowledge is the key to the truth. Plato also based his ideas on the belief of dyadic intuitionism. Plato believed that th...

... middle of paper ...

...violating someone else’s rights is something I have experienced and this experience can be used to believe in the fact that armed robbery is ultimately bad. Beliefs should not be so permanent that an end is put to search for the greater truth. It is important not to be narrow minded and through practical interpretations and right thinking, steps can be taken to ensure that truth is agreed upon. The search for truth is going to take place until the people exist on the Earth. Both Plato and Peirce have given varying philosophical thoughts helping our search for the truth. Although the beliefs, both the philosophers have based their ideas on are different, Peirce and Plato have stressed the importance of finding the ultimate meaning of truth and neither of them are easily fixed in a belief. This is important in the development and the future existence of the society.

Show More
Related

  • Runaway Statues: Platonic Lessons on the Limits of an Analogy

    3244 Words  | 7 Pages

    Plato's best-known distinction between knowledge and opinion occurs in the Meno. The distinction rests on an analogy that compares the acquisition and retention of knowledge to the acquisition and retention of valuable material goods. But Plato saw the limitations of the analogy and took pains to warn against learning the wrong lessons from it. In the next few pages I will revisit this familiar analogy with a view to seeing how Plato both uses and distances himself from it.

    Read More

  • Inaccessief Theory: Plato's Concept Of Knowledge

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life without knowledge would be worthless. Talking about knowledge what i mean is knowledge about something. The description of the state of some object is knowledge. The object may be either abstract or physical. Some examples of abstract things include memory, feelings and time. But how we obtain knowledge? Many philosophers tried to find an adequate answer to this question. They came up with so many theories summarizing the process of knowledge. But none of them all was able to state a clear definition of pure knowledge. One of those philosophers is Plato. In this essay I am going to discuss the concept of knowledge according to Plato’s philosophic conception of knowledge. I will clarify what knowledge is not perception. And from this I will move to explain the justified true belief theory. Then I will show the lack in this theory by referring to counterexamples: the Gettier cases. To end up with a conclusion that states what is my understanding of the process of knowledge.

    Read More

  • Comparing Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and Plato's The Republic

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the field of philosophy there can be numerous answers to a general question, depending on a particular philosopher's views on the subject. Often times an answer is left undetermined. In the broad sense of the word and also stated in the dictionary philosophy can be described as the pursuit of human knowledge and human values. There are many different people with many different theories of knowledge. Two of these people, also philosophers, in which this paper will go into depth about are Descartes and Plato. Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and Plato's The Republic are the topics that are going to be discussed in this paper.

    Read More

  • Plato’s Unwritten Doctrines from a Hermeneutical Point of View*

    2288 Words  | 5 Pages

    Plato’s thought has two axes: thematical and formal. Thematically it moves around the Good, and formally, around the dialectic. Both themes are the ground of his whole work and the ideas are not more than the attempt of joining them. The dialectical access to ideas is fully congruous with the question of the Good, at all levels. This is clearly exposed in the beginning of Philebus, (4) where it is necessary to reach the truth about the good through dialogue, with all required efforts. But dialogue is not a combat between enemies to win one position, but the battle between allies supporting the truth.

    Read More

  • Fixing Belief

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “The Fixation of Belief”, Charles S. Peirce attempts to explain his four methods of establishing belief, in which he says all people have. These methods can be put to the test with any subject matter, and one shall always fit.

    Read More

  • Fixation Of Belief Analysis

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Peirce’s work, Fixation of Belief, he talks about the many methods people go through to come to secure beliefs. He states that the best way for fixing a belief is the scientific method. Throughout the passage, it shows how people uses these methods to fixate on one and how all these methods don’t work because of the external stimuli. Plato similarly choses one of the four methods to test and shows its flaws in the method. I myself also go through these methods to find the basis for the security of my own personal beliefs.

    Read More

  • The Complicated Life of Socrates

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...s are inaccurate and deceptive, the philosopher’s search for knowledge is most successful when the soul is most by itself” (Connolly).

    Read More

  • Pragmatism Essay

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    What exactly is “truth”? And how do we arrive at the truth? Over these past weeks I have successfully be able to study two different but very closely linked methods of arriving at what we human beings know as truth. Introduced to the method of pragmatism by William James, I have concluded that pragmatism uses an approach in which reason is used to find what is true but what also has to be considered is that the truth is subject to change. Which distinguishes it from Rene Descartes' method of pursuing what is true. Essentially they follow the same procedures. Although at the final moments of my research, I began to find myself pro-pragmatism. I disbelieve Descartes claim that the mind believes everything that is perceived through the human eye which leaves no room for an imagination. Both James and Descartes differ in some areas while maintaing similarities in others. Whether its concerning the way their visions are presented, their interpretations of the truth, or how applicable the idea of it is to our lives.

    Read More

  • Plato's Works

    1893 Words  | 4 Pages

    In his works, Plato writes about truth, justice, and reality in full detail. His ideas are greatly deep and persuasively argued. It is from him that all western philosophy is a footnote. He describes his view in a series of numerous dialogues. For my report, I have chosen four of his works to study, which I think were his most important.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex The Burden Of Knowledge Essay

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    We live our lives based upon discoveries that others have made before us. The words of our elders influence the decisions we make. In 1597 Sir Frances Bacon claimed that knowledge is power and his words are understood by generations upon generations after. The more a person knows, the more aware they are of the world around them. It is rare that someone would not want to bear knowledge and wisdom. After reading Oedipus Rex’s first play, one can see why a person would be content not knowing the whole truth. Until now, it always believed the more a person knows, the more satisfying of a life that person will pursue. The unfortunate events of Oedipus’ life makes the reader look at the concept of knowledge from a whole

    Read More

  • Comparing Truth in The Education of Children, Paradise Lost and Hamlet

    3130 Words  | 7 Pages

    To some, truth is something that is absolute and unchanging. To others, truth is volatile and inconstant. In the 16th and 17th century, the foundations of civilization itself had been shaken. Many of the ideas which were thought to be absolutely true had been plunged into the depths of uncertainty. The cosmological, geographical, and religious revolutions called into question the nature of truth itself. It is no wonder, then, that some of the great writers at the time included within their works a treatise on the ways in which truth is constructed. Because of the major ideological revolutions that shaped their world, Milton, Montaigne, and Shakespeare all used characters and theatrical devices to create their own ideas on the construction of truth.

    Read More

  • Plato vs. Aristotle

    350 Words  | 1 Pages

    Thirdly, Plato and Aristotle hold contrasting views on the mechanism of finding the truth. Plato relied on the ability to reason in his attempt to explain the world. He produced his ideal world based on reason since such a world lies beyond the realm of the five senses. Plato ignored his senses because he believed his senses only revealed the imperfect forms of the ordinary world.

    Read More

  • Nietzsche On Truth

    2753 Words  | 6 Pages

    Nietzsche’s contradictory remarks about the nature of truth raised many controversial debates in the scientific and philosophical world. At first sight, the rejection of the theory seems quite paradoxical. The denial of the existence of truth causes the problem of self-reference. In asserting: ‘Is it true that there is no truth?’, the claim turns out to be true in either affirmative or negative sense. Nietzsche analyses the notion of truth mostly in the unpublished essay Truth and Lie in which he raises various arguments. It is important to distinguish between the causal and normative evaluative sense concerning the question of truth: ‘why do we value truth?’ and ‘why should we value truth?’ The causal and genetic account of truth consists in the essential utility to know the truth of certain beliefs as a tool for survival. For example, the Darwinian evolutionary account describes the likelihood of an offspring to adapt and survive in a given environment. On this proposal, truth is valuable as a way to further human reproduction in the generations to come. On the other hand, there is the normative evaluative theory that analyses the ultimate meaning of truth. On this view, Nietzsche is mostly not concerned about metaphysical truth but, rather, analyses the reason why humans care about truth as the most overriding value. The former theory fails to provide an answer to this question, unless we consider survival as the ultimate motivating force of life. According to Nietzsche, truth is not the only ultimate value that there is in life, but also other important aspects of life such as the promotion of high culture and genius. These two values will be analyzed In greater detail later in this essay.

    Read More

  • Gorgias's Inexistence Of Truth

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    Truth must logically exist, and Socrates knew this. His method of bringing others to discover this truth, choosing education over manipulation, was through questions, building logical arguments from the answers he was given until truth was found. As demonstrated in Plato’s dialogues, this method was effective. (Sproul 31) Other future philosophers, namely Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, argued for the necessity of truth in a different way. Aristotle argued for the necessity of an “unmoved mover” (Sproul 48); Aquinas took it upon himself to prove the necessity of God (Sproul 70-71). Using only logic and proven factual observances of the laws of nature, both proved the necessity of the existence of something, and thus, the existence of truth. In addition to proving truth, these philosophers (and I, in this essay) have understood truth and communicated it to readers, thus proving all three aspects of Gorgias’ argument

    Read More

  • The Three Views

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    To start, the three views on truth are verum quia factum, verum est ens and verum quia faciendum. Simply put the views are ancient medieval and modern, however these go much more in depth. Verum est ens in English translates to “being is truth” and is the ancient way of view. Being is “what is”, it surpasses the surface of things, it does not see the object, and its view far surpasses the object. The ancient people viewed the world as a veil which meant that truth hides behind the surface of things. In simple terms the ancient people did not viewed things in a very religious and symbolic way. In their world God gives everything and what they see is the off spring of what God gave. After a little time that view crumbled and verum quia factum

    Read More

More about Plato And Charles Peirce: The Meaning Of Truth, Knowledge And Knowledge

Open Document