The problem of the one and of the many is a philosophical dilemma

Posted: May 5th, 2020

● Form – Unchanging essences
● Empiricism – Knowledge stems from the feeling of sensation
● Humans love senastaion because sensation is the beginning of knowledge
5 Stages of Knowledge
1. Senses
2. Memory
3. Experience
4. Techne/craft/art (Only achieved by humans)
5. Science (Only achieved by humans)
● One – This is a reference to a universal term
● Many – This refers to the individual
● Normalism – Some philosophers believe that general terms are made up and not based
on any form of objectivity. Examples of philosophers of this belief were William of Oscam
and David Hume
● Both Aristotle and Plato were realists
● Gender realist – You are made up of one of the genders as this is objective
● Gender nomination – It is a personal choice and ppl
● Realism – Belief that general terms relate to something in reality
● Aristotle believes that knowledge is based on sensation first.
● Abstraction – This refers is Aristotle’s theory that the human mind starting from
sensation is able to separate out what type of thing something is
● Although Aristotle rejects Plato’s theory of the form but uses the word form . He believes
that every physical object is some form or matter (What is individual about you)
● Essentials (form) – characteristics that define the type of thing that something is.
● Accidentals (matter) – characteristics that are true of the individual but do not define the
type of thing it is.
● Aristotle believes that the problem of the one and the many can be solved without the
theory of the forms
● Socrates believes knowledge requires recollection and believes that before the soul
entered the body we had a spiritual knowledge of an object and seeing it in real life
makes us remember what it is
● Anything that has its own theory or terminology is a form of techne
● Animals cannot techne stage bcz it involves language and theorizing
● Phlegmatic – Someone who is prone to many illnesses especially of the respiratory
tract.
● Bilious – Someone who is prone to diseases of the liver
● Techne – This is the stage at where you apply theory to explain what you have seen in
experience. Can only be achieved by humans
● Science – This is the ultimate development of knowledge and it refers to organized
information where you reach the first principle of a topic
● Sometimes the person of experience exceeds the person of techne
● Techne is sometimes taught before experience but doesn’t necessarily mean they will be
able to apply the knowledge
● Aristotle makes approx 56 criticisms of Plato’s form theories
● Plato has a dialogue called the Parmenidies (Dialogue between Soc and Parmenidies)
Examples of Aris Criticisms of Plato’s theories
1. Alternative epistemology – Aris says that he can do what Soc and Plato do but in a way
that doesn’t involve their theory of Forms and that his way is more in line with common
sense
2. Oddness of some forms – The theory cannot be right because it leads to very odd
conclusions
*Fully explain the problem of the one and of the many as discussed in class? Then
explain how Plato would account for our general concept of a car and then how Aristotle
would account for our general concept of a car (talk about sensation memory). Finally give
reasons for whose theory you think is better. Write between 1.5 pages. pg 275 to 290

The problem of the one and of the many is a philosophical dilemma that asks how we can have both unity and diversity in our world. In other words, it asks how we can have individual things that share common characteristics. Plato and Aristotle both have different theories on how to account for this problem.

Plato would account for our general concept of a car through his theory of Forms. He would say that the idea of a car is a universal form that exists independently of individual cars. The form of a car would have certain characteristics that all individual cars share, such as four wheels, an engine, and a steering wheel. Plato would argue that our general concept of a car is based on our knowledge of this universal form.

On the other hand, Aristotle would account for our general concept of a car through the process of sensation and memory. He would say that we have a general concept of a car because we have experienced and sensed individual cars. Through our senses, we perceive the various characteristics of individual cars such as their shape, size, and color. Our memory then stores this information and combines it into a general concept of a car.

Aristotle’s theory is better than Plato’s for several reasons. First, Aristotle’s theory is based on empirical evidence and observation, while Plato’s theory relies on metaphysical speculation. Second, Aristotle’s theory is more consistent with our common-sense understanding of the world. We know that individual cars exist, and we can observe their characteristics through our senses. Third, Aristotle’s theory allows for individual variation, while Plato’s theory suggests that all individual cars are mere copies of an ideal form. Overall, Aristotle’s theory provides a more practical and coherent explanation for the problem of the one and of the many.