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Inquiry, Forms, and Substances

A Study in Plato’s Metaphysics and Epistemology

  • Book
  • © 1995

Overview

Authors:
  1. Thomas A. Blackson

    1. Department of Philosophy, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA

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Part of the book series: Philosophical Studies Series (PSSP, volume 62)

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-viii
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  2. Introduction

    • Thomas A. Blackson
    Pages 1-25

  3. Plato’s Tribute to Socrates

    • Thomas A. Blackson
    Pages 26-63

  4. Philosophers Against Lovers of Spectacles

    • Thomas A. Blackson
    Pages 64-98

  5. Heraclitean Flux

    • Thomas A. Blackson
    Pages 99-132

  6. Forms and the Four Kinds of Stuff

    • Thomas A. Blackson
    Pages 133-170

  7. Conclusion

    • Thomas A. Blackson
    Pages 171-179

  8. Back Matter

    Pages 180-229
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Keywords

About this book

i. Introductory remarks 1 Plato, but not Socrates, concluded that the Forms are substances. Whether the Forms are substances is not an issue that Socrates had in mind. He did not deny it, but neither did he affirm it. If Socrates were asked a series of questions designed to determine whether he believed that the Forms are substances, he would admit that he had no opinion about this philosophical issue. Unlike Plato, Socrates was not a metaphysician. The same, of course, would not have always been true of Plato. Unlike Socrates, he was a metaphysician. At some point in his career, and at least by the time of the Phaedo and the Republic, Plato did what Socrates never thought to do. Plato considered the question and concluded that the Forms are substances. Although this development occurred more than two thousand years ago, time has not eclipsed its importance. It is one of the most seminal events in the history of the philosophy. With his defense of Socrates's method of intellectual inquiry, and the development of his Theory of Forms, Plato caused a now familiar cluster of metaphysical and epistemological issues to become central to philosophy.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Philosophy, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA

    Thomas A. Blackson

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Inquiry, Forms, and Substances

  • Book Subtitle: A Study in Plato’s Metaphysics and Epistemology

  • Authors: Thomas A. Blackson

  • Series Title: Philosophical Studies Series

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0281-0

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1995

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7923-3275-6Published: 31 January 1995

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-010-4124-9Published: 14 October 2012

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-011-0281-0Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0921-8599

  • Series E-ISSN: 2542-8349

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VIII, 229

  • Topics: Classical Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ontology, Epistemology

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