Part 1: Demonstrate the differences between science, religion, and philosophy.

Philosophy, science, and religion are all fields of study striving for an understanding and interpretation of the world around us, but each field approaches the problem differently. Philosophy attempts to understand the world through reason alone, with logic as its primary tool for progress. Aristotle's take on Plato's Forms would be a fitting example, using logic and reason to work through perceived problems in his teacher's ideas. Science takes the road of empirically examining the world around us with the scientific method, and completely discards the notion of metaphysics that the other two fields wield. Quantum Physics could be seen as an ultimate demonstration …show more content…
They can be incredibly unpredictable. The only method to explain anything to a child that has worked for me has been in measuring out the knowledge of the child on the subject, and guiding them to conclusions with facts and questions. The majority of the questions that could be asked, like “What do you see here?” and “How can you tell?” will have already been covered in the exposition of the images, so all that remains is reinforcement of the knowledge and patience for an opportunity in the future to expose them to it again.

Part 3: How would Plato explain the concept of a cat using Forms?

Plato would surely begin, especially with a younger mind foreign to his philosophies, by explaining the concept of a Form. He would take a nearby object, say a stone in the street, and hold it to the child. I imagine the Dialogue would proceed as follows.

Plato: <Holding the stone out to the child> What do you see here?
Child: It's a rock!
Plato: Very good, it's a rock indeed. Now then, how did you know that it was a …show more content…
The reflection of the tree is not as real as the tree. In the same way, the trees that you see before you are not there forever, and are certainly not the same as each other. Why do you think that is?
Child: I don't know.
Plato: Let's explore that, then. They, as trees, are each different from one another, but we still know they're all trees, just like the rock before, and I believe I've learned why that is.
Child: Why is it?
Plato: Just like the reflection of the trees in the water, the trees you see before you on the shore across the way are just reflections in the world of something greater, the Idea or Form of the tree itself. Now, this Idea of the tree is perfect, and embodies exactly what we expect from a tree. Unlike the trees on the shoreline, it can never be changed. Do you understand?
Child: The trees are like pictures of a super tree, right?
Plato: Yes and no. The trees that you see are a part of our ever-changing world, the World of Becoming, but the “super tree,” or the Idea of the tree belongs to another world, the World of Being, where things never change, and are always exactly as they're supposed to be.
<Just as he's said this, a cat wanders by, and begins drinking from the lake. The child, having never seen a cat before, looks on with intrigue and