Which philosopher is associated with the belief that the physical world is an illusion, thereby stifling scientific progress in the ancient Greek world?

• A. Aristotle
• B. Plato
• C. Socrates
• D. Democritus

Answer: (B)

Plato argued that the physical world we sense is only a flawed reflection of a higher, unchanging realm of perfect Forms. Because genuine knowledge, for him, comes from grasping these abstract Forms rather than from sensory experience, the world of appearances could be treated with skepticism. That stance can dampen scientific progress because it de-emphasizes careful observation of the natural world in favor of understanding these ideal realities. In the ancient Greek context, this mindset sometimes slowed empirical inquiry. By contrast, Aristotle stressed learning about nature through observation and reasoning from what is actually observed, Socrates focused on the method of questioning rather than metaphysical claims about illusion, and Democritus proposed a concrete, atomist view of matter without suggesting the senses are deceiving about reality.