Critically assess the views of Plato and Dawkins. (35)
Whereas Plato believed in the soul, the World of the Forms and the cycle of opposites, Dawkins rejected all ideas of a life after death and all theories claiming that some form of god exists. In this essay, I will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both Plato and Dawkins and explain their beliefs behind the soul and life after death.
Firstly, Plato believed in the World of the Forms. This is where our souls originate from and is the source of all knowledge in the Material World. He explained that our souls come from the World of the Forms and become trapped in our bodies in the Material World, only returning when we die. Plato’s Theory of Knowledge states that there is the perfect form of everything in the Material World in the World of the Forms and when we learn in the Material World, it is simply our souls remembering the World of the Forms. For example, although all men look different, we can distinguish a man from a woman, even if we do not know them personally, without the need to ask them or find out. This is a strength of Plato’s theory of knowledge as it gives evidence for our soul recalling the perfect version of a man in the World of the Forms and applying that knowledge to the material shadow of it. Another strength of this theory is that it can be applied to many situations in life. For example, some children are able to understand maths quickly and easily without having to be taught a great amount whereas some children may need extra help from teachers. This gives evidence for Plato’s theory as for some children, maths clicks in their head for no apparent reason. Plato would have said that their souls have less difficulty remembering maths from the World of the Forms, making them find it easier than their classmates to do. However, a weakness of this theory is that it is unclear what kind of perfect version there is in the World of the Forms. For example, is there a perfect death, a...