Describe Plato’s philosophical analysis of the nature of knowledge, explain what role the theory of forms plays in it, and explain what conclusions Plato drew for the methodology of natural sciences such as astronomy. Illustrate your account with references from Timaeus. Why does mathematics have a special place in Plato’s account of the nature of knowledge? In what way do the views of Aristotle about the nature of change represent a departure from Plato? How does his account of knowledge differ from Plato’s? Explain specifically the role Aristotle’s conception of motion plays in his overall understanding of the global features of the physical universe.
The paper should well address all of the questions above. ONE of the four sources must be “Plato: Timaeus”. This is the main reference. The sources below may also be referenced.
Barnes: Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction
Cohen : The Birth of a New Physics
Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy
Finocchiaro: The Galileo Affair
Frova & Marenzana: Thus Spoke Galileo
Lloyd: Early Greek Science
Plato: Meno
