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    The infinite regress of forms threatens the principle of ... — Carmelics
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    Home/Modality & Possibility
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    The infinite regress of forms threatens the principle of Uniqueness.

    Modality & Possibility
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    2 reasons for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    2 perspectives
    Reason for 1 of 2
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    • 1.If a form F exists to unify particulars sharing a property, then F itself requires a higher form F* to explain what makes F a form at all.
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    • 2.Plato's own criterion in the Parmenides (132a-b) implies that any entity grasped by thought must participate in a form, generating iterative ascent.
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    • 3.Each new form introduced to halt the regress is itself an instance requiring unification, so no unique form can terminate the explanatory chain.
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    Reason for 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Aristotle's Third Man Argument (Metaphysics 990b17) establishes that the self-predication and non-identity assumptions jointly entail proliferation of forms.
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    • 2.If forms multiply without bound, no single form uniquely corresponds to a given set of instances, directly violating the Uniqueness principle.
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    • 3.Vlastos's 1954 analysis confirms that blocking the regress requires abandoning either self-predication or non-identity, both of which Plato treats as foundational.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.An infinite regress of forms is generated by the argument that every form is a thought of a form.
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    • 2.Uniqueness requires that there be only one form for any given set of instances.
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    Modality & PossibilityTruth & Knowledge

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    Related

    An infinite regress of forms is generated by the argument that every form is a t...Aristotle's Third Man Argument (Metaphysics 990b17) establishes that the self-pr...Each new form introduced to halt the regress is itself an instance requiring uni...If a form F exists to unify particulars sharing a property, then F itself requir...
    +4 moreShow less
    If forms multiply without bound, no single form uniquely corresponds to a given ...Plato's own criterion in the Parmenides (132a-b) implies that any entity grasped...Uniqueness requires that there be only one form for any given set of instances.Vlastos's 1954 analysis confirms that blocking the regress requires abandoning e...

    Similar

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    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: plato-parmenides
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    Parmenides’ first argument appears to have the following structure. First, all thoughts have intentional objects: every thought is of something rather than nothing. Second, the object of any thought T is something that T thinks to be one over all the instances. But anything that is thought to be one over all the instances is a form. Parmenides concludes that the intentional object of every thought is a form, and hence if every form is a thought then every form is a thought of a form. Although Pa
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    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (2 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit