Topic > Plato and Aristotle on form and substance

How to classify forms according to Plato? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to Plato's theory of forms, the physical world is not necessarily the real world, rather reality exists beyond the physical world. There are two kingdoms; the physical realm and the realm of forms. The physical realm is made up of material things that we come into contact with in our daily lives and it is changing and is far from perfect. On the other hand, the Realm of Forms exists beyond the physical realm. The Theory of Forms declares that the physical realm is only an image or copy of the true reality of the Realm of Forms. Forms are abstract, flawless, immutable concepts or ideals that transcend time and space and exist within the Realm of Forms. Although the shapes are abstract, that doesn't mean they aren't real. Plato actually considered them more real than any individual physical object. For example, we may see a blue t-shirt or marker, but we have never seen the color blue itself. Blue in and of itself doesn't actually exist as its own entity in the physical world, even though we all know what blue is. Therefore, blue is an immutable ideal form, while the blue shirt or marker are individual physical objects that take part in the Form of Blue. How is appearance related to reality, yet still different? Bertrand Russell said that most of us believe things based on false inferences. He made a distinction between appearance and reality, arguing that appearance is what we accumulate from our senses. While we may be wrong about our reality because of appearance, our best bet on reality is sense data. Sense data are things that are immediately familiar using sensation. Overall, something may appear a certain way but that doesn't mean it's real. For example, Photoshop and other editing apps can be used to alter a given image by changing the original image and therefore altering its reality. That's why the image appears to be something it really isn't. Furthermore, people typically only post the positive side of their lives. If we just looked at what they posted, we would think their lives were great. However, in reality it could be another story because almost no one wants to show the negative side of their life. How would you explain the form of a substance according to Aristotle and do you agree? The form of a substance is referred to as the essence of a substance. This form or essence is what the substance is commonly known for. Its essence must be what the substance aspires to, or in other words, its goal or purpose. Aristotle refers to this goal as the characteristic activity of substance. “Therefore, according to him, everything real had a purpose.” For example, some might say that the essence of man is to procreate and that this is therefore our purpose in this world. However, this could be considered more of a scientific purpose rather than a noble and personal purpose such as making the world a better place. What is your opinion on Plato's theory of forms? In this world, referring to Plato that forms are ideal is rather absurd. For example, when we refer to something as real, we are acknowledging how imperfect or relatable it is. In other words, sometimes flaws are more recognizable because they make something or someone imperfect. This is because we are imperfect and our lives are made up of flaws due to the physical realm. Therefore, it is very difficult to relate to that form or ideal because it is completely perfect. We might all define perfection differently, but the.