...Allegory of the Cave The allegory of the cave revolves around a conversation between Socrates and Glaucon, who was Socrates’ student (Pearcy). Plato designed “Allegory of the Cave” as a theory to concentrate on human perception (Trumpeter). Plato refers to knowledge being acquired by the senses as an opinion, but that real knowledge is attained by philosophical reasoning. Plato describes the difference between people who can not differentiate between sensory knowledge to reach the truth and people that actually see the truth. In order for Plato to explain his theory of “Allegory of the Cave” he divides it into five main points: the cave, the shadows, the game, the escape, and the return. In this paper, I will explain and decipher all five...
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...Book VII Summary: Book VII, 514a- 521d In Book VII, Socrates presents the most beautiful and famous metaphor in Western philosophy: the allegory of the cave. This metaphor is meant to illustrate the effects of education on the human soul. Education moves the philosopher through the stages on the divided line, and ultimately brings him to the Form of the Good. Socrates describes a dark scene. A group of people have lived in a deep cave since birth, never seeing the light of day. These people are bound so that they cannot look to either side or behind them, but only straight ahead. Behind them is a fire, and behind the fire is a partial wall. On top of the wall are various statues, which are manipulated by another group of people, lying out of sight behind the partial wall. Because of the fire, the statues cast shadows across the wall that the prisoners are facing. The prisoners watch the stories that these shadows play out, and because these shadows are all they ever get to see, they believe them to be the most real things in the world. When they talk to one another about “men,” “women,” “trees,” or “horses,” they are referring to these shadows. These prisoners represent the lowest stage on the line—imagination. A prisoner is freed from his bonds, and is forced to look at the fire and at the statues themselves. After an initial period of pain and confusion because of direct exposure of his eyes to the light of the fire, the prisoner realizes that what he sees now are things...
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... Samar Al-Haqab Mr. Lyman Hong English 1A October 8th, 2013 Rationalism and Skepticism: Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave and Wachowski’s The Matrix Today’s modern media and society are greatly influenced by not-so-modern artists, philosophers, and writers. We have all watched, read, or analyzed something that was based off of the idea of someone before us. One example for this would be the movie Inception (2010), directed by Christopher Nolan. In this movie the depiction between the idea of a dream and reality is extremely contrasted to the point where it is difficult to draw the line between what is or is not real. The mind boggling adventure of this movie makes us wonder; did the director draw this idea from thin air? The answer is no. In fact, the animated film Paprika (2007), directed by Satoshi Kon directly resembles the ideas and concepts of Inception. This is because Paprika served as a basis for Christopher Nolan in his movie Inception. Movies, concepts, and ideas are always being interpreted or rephrased in different forms. Aside from these two movies, there are other works that are very similar by concept. Two pieces of work that will be discussed further in detail are, the philosophical work, Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Lana Wachowski’s movie, The Matrix. Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave walks the readers through a dialogue between a character named Glaucon and Plato’s former teacher, Socrates. They discuss the predisposed...
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...Theory of the Forms and the Sensible World This paper will discuss the relationship between the knowledge of the forms and opinion about the sensible world. After describing the sensible world, Socrates brings up a new concept about how this world should be ruled. This paper will argue that because philosophy kings have knowledge about the forms they are better rulers of the sensible world, rather than sight-lovers. This paper is divided into two phases, each showing how Socrates has used the theory of the forms. Philosopher Kings and Sight Lovers: The idea of philosophy kings first comes up in Book V of the Republic at 473d. Socrates claims that the sensible world can only exist once kings, or those who rule practice philosophy. As Socrates is saying this, he himself realizes how his statement is somewhat radical. This radical claim by Socrates leads him to distinguish the difference between philosophy kings and sight lovers using the theory of the forms. At 476b (Rep. V), Socrates says that the lovers of sights only like beautiful characteristics such as shapes and sounds. Socrates argues that these individuals don’t see the underlying beauty. Although not explicitly mentioned, at this point, Socrates is using the theory of forms to distinguish philosophers and sight lovers. For sight-lovers, beauty is on a comparative basis; say for example “A” has beautiful features once it is observed alone. Once we compare “A” with all things beautiful, it may not posses the beauty it once...
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...Allegory of the Cave Plato’s work on the allegory of the cave represents the awareness of the human beings towards their surrounding in the face of prejudicial society views. Plato realizes that humankind can speak and think without any mindfulness of his realm of form. In the myth, Plato likens uneducated people to prisoners chained in a cave without the ability to exercise any mobility. The only thing visible to them is the cave wall and some light fire burning behind them to create some warmth in the cave (Plato & Parker, 2005). A parapet exists between the fire and the prisoners, in which the puppeteers can walk. The puppeteers behind the prisoners clutch the puppets that cast their shadows on the cave walls. However, the prisoners cannot see the puppets but can hear the echoes of objects and see some shadows on the caves wall. The prisoners can hardly recognize the real cause of the shadows and they suppose that the shadows are real. According to Plato, if a different shadow is cast that resembles a book, the prisoners are likely to recognize it in their own language. Thus, in his view, prisoners would be mistaken, since they would be referring to the shadows in their own language that pass through their eyes than the real things that cause the shadows. Plato’s objective was to show that the general terms used in a certain language are not the names of tangible things that we see but the things we can internalize in our minds. Plato shows how humankind should...
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...Anh Nguyen PHI 111-112 Assignment #2 Essay 1: What is your belief about ultimate reality? In this position paper, the worldview that I find the most persuasive is metaphysical naturalism. I realized that I am a naturalist that believes the nature is all that exist. Therefore, that all things supernatural (including God, spirits, souls and non-natural values) do not exist. Naturalists hold that all minds, the contents, powers, and effect of minds that are entirely constructed from or caused by natural phenomena. Following to argument from physical minds, scientists have many evidences that the human mind is a product of a functioning brain, which is entirely constructed from different interacting physical systems that evolved over time through the animal kingdom. In addition, mental and physical have a close relationship, so it means there is no mental happens that does not go with physical. Therefore, it is impossible to say that there are some souls and God exist. And, this argument is what we would expect if naturalism is true. According to argument from history of science, there is a single theme unifying the history of science, it is that naturalistic (non-supernatural) explanation work. The history of science has many examples of naturalistic explanations; however, there is no example’s supernatural explanations about naturalistic. Luckily, the naturalistic explanation is so successful that even these explanations also make scientific theists have to accept. Therefore...
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...Peace By George Herbert (1593-1633) A Study Guide | Cummings Guides Home..|..Contact This Site. Type of Work | Summary of the Poem | Text and Notes | Themes | End Rhyme | Internal Rhyme | Feet and Meter | Symbols | Figures of Speech | Study Questions | Writing Topics | Author's Biography | . Study Guide Prepared by Michael J. Cummings...© 2011 . Type of Work.......George Herbert's "Peace" is a lyric poem in the form of an allegory. The poem focuses on a religious theme. It was first published in 1633 in a collection of Herbert's poems entitled The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations. Summary of the Poem .......The speaker of the poem addresses Peace as a person (personification), asking where he dwells. The speaker says he sought Peace in a cave but failed to find him there. Afterward, he sees a rainbow and examines it to find Peace. But the rainbow disappears when the clouds break up. Next, he looks in a garden and beholds a crown imperial, with its downward facing bulbs, and believes Peace is at its roots. But when he digs, he finds only a worm. .......Later, he meets an elderly clergyman and asks him where to find Peace. The man then tells him a story. .......A prince once lived at Salem (Jerusalem), he says. "He sweetly lived," the man notes, but his enemies took his life. From his grave twelve stalks of wheat grew. This wheat spread throughout the earth after those who ate of it discovered that it contained a special virtue. This virtue could...
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...Socrates looked at things and his beliefs and perception as compared to how Voltaire looked at life. This is a summary of what was captured in Apology, allegory of the cave and the Good Brahmin. These stories have good implication on the essence of philosophy in life. What is philosophy and how should we consider it? In short, these essays talk about enlightenment, which is a process whereby a person comes to know the truth as opposed to being ignorant. Socrates’ views of life are shown in the stories of Apology and allegory of the Cave. The main one that shows Socrates’ ideas is that of the allegory of the caves, which will be explained briefly in this essay. In the allegory of the cave there is a tantalizing scenario. The scenario is as follows. It is shown in a state of things that a young person has been in. The scenario is like that of a person who was born and ever since his youth hood was placed in a cave. In this cave there is no light. This person is chained there in that he is not able to turn even his head to see what is around. The person looks in one direction. In the direction in which he looks there are shadows that come from the reflection of the sun. The sun is outside and only shadows of the things that are moving outside are shown in the cave. There are things roaming outside and their shadows are seen from inside. For a person who has been in the cave for a long...
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...Socrates looked at things and his beliefs and perception as compared to how Voltaire looked at life. This is a summary of what was captured in Apology, allegory of the cave and the Good Brahmin. These stories have good implication on the essence of philosophy in life. What is philosophy and how should we consider it? In short, these essays talk about enlightenment, which is a process whereby a person comes to know the truth as opposed to being ignorant. Socrates’ views of life are shown in the stories of Apology and allegory of the Cave. The main one that shows Socrates’ ideas is that of the allegory of the caves, which will be explained briefly in this essay. In the allegory of the cave there is a tantalizing scenario. The scenario is as follows. It is shown in a state of things that a young person has been in. The scenario is like that of a person who was born and ever since his youth hood was placed in a cave. In this cave there is no light. This person is chained there in that he is not able to turn even his head to see what is around. The person looks in one direction. In the direction in which he looks there are shadows that come from the reflection of the sun. The sun is outside and only shadows of the things that are moving outside are shown in the cave. There are things roaming outside and their shadows are seen from inside. For a person who has been in the cave for a long...
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...The Connection by Kathleen Orozco P. Sepesi English 3.1 December 5, 2011 Outline I. Introduction II. America in the 1600’s A. Puritanism B. Salem Witch Trials III. America in the 1950’s A. Communism B. Joseph McCarthy IV. McCarthyism A. McCarthy Trials (HUAC) B. Blacklisting C. Elia Kazan D. Arthur Miller V. The Crucible A. The Summary B. The theme VI. The Allegory A. Danforth and the HUAC B. Danforth and Joseph McCarthy C. Elia Kazan and Abigail Williams VII. The conclusion The Connection The Crucible written by Arthur Miller has a symbolic meaning. It is an allegory, “a story in which people, things, and events have a symbolic meaning, often instructive.” (Agnes 17). The setting, the Salem witch trials of the 1600’s is similar to the McCarthy trials of the 1950’s. The people, the events, the details relate to one another. Miller purposely wrote his story to instruct the fact that the mentality of the people in the 1950’s was no different than the mentality of people in the 1600’s. In the 1600’s people followed a strict religion known as puritanism. The Puritans believed they were sent by God to purify the world of sin and evil. Because of this they believed they were superior to others. Consequently, when they did sin, they tended to feel guilty and blame others for their faults. This blame and guilt led to one of the most fearful times in America. The Salem witch trials happened during the 1600’s and at a time where everyone...
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...than mere freedom of choice but freedom to do the unexpected (as cited in Saxonhouse 2005: 51). This notion of freedom liberated the Athenians in many ways that other civilizations were not. Pericles famous funeral oration presents an understanding as to why casting out the old and focusing on the present gave Athens such democratic freedom. The speech is set to honour those who have died for Athens and is a tradition that is patrios nomos i.e. coming down from ancestors. However, this tradition takes a very different spin - David Cartwright describes it as ‘a eulogy of Athens itself’ (Cartwright 1997: 107). Pericles quickly departs from his praise of the ancestors and decides to focus on the greatness of the Athenians and their city: ‘In summary I declare that our city as a whole is an education to Greece; and in each individual among us I see combined the personal self-sufficiency to enjoy the widest range of experience and the ability to adapt with consummate grace and ease’ (Thucydides: II, 41). Instead of dwelling on praising the dead, Pericles approaches this oration by speaking of what these men died for and the glorification of the polis. The focus of his speech is thus on the present and the glorious future ahead (Thucydides: II, 41). Pericles connects the dead soldiers to the defence of the democratic regime. For a democracy, dependence on history would limit the freedom of self-rule (Saxonhouse 2005: 38). Even by reading Thucydides as a whole we can see that the past is...
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...Introduction to Philosophy Jeffrey Nall Spring 2016 MWF, 11:30 AM-12:20PM ------------------------------------------------- Masaru Sakata Philosophy Journal philosophy journal Reflection To begin with, upon choosing this class, my expectations was to just get by, finish my last general education requirement class, and possibly learn a thing or two about philosophy. in fact, when i first entered the class, i was already thinking to myself what’s even the point for this class. but, the moment professor nall spoke, i knew i was in for a ride. throughout my time on the course, i did develop new insights about myself. when you describe a journey, you describe obstacles an individual faces in it. in this class, i actually faced several of those. obviously they are not of no means physical, but i questioned a lot of the different things i believe in, including my religion. there was actually a time this semester where i actually questioned if god did exist during the time between the arguments of an existence of a creator to the topic about the different types of evil. furthermore, after different events that have happened outside of class and actually learning about the information in class, i personally believe my thinking developed in a way that makes me critically think about everything i decide to believe in and not just follow it like a robot. To clarify, I am still a roman catholic and i think my faith actually strengthened because of this class. additionally, i...
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...AS Religious Studies [pic] PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS Revision Summary Notes Revision Notes Foundation for the Study of Religion Part One: Philosophy of Religion Plato and the Forms Influence of Socrates • Socrates said that virtue is knowledge – to know what is right is to do what is right. • All wrongdoing is the result of ignorance – nobody chooses to do wrong deliberately. • Therefore, to be moral you must have true knowledge. The problem of the One and the Many Plato was trying to find a solution to the problem that although there is underlying stability in the world (sun comes up every morning), it is constantly changing (you never step into the same river twice). 1. An old theory about this problem is that we gain all knowledge from our senses – empirically. 2. Plato disagreed with this. He said that because the world is constantly changing, our senses cannot be trusted. Plato illustrated his idea in the dialogue, ‘Meno’: Socrates sets a slave boy a mathematical problem. The slave boy knows the answer, yet he has not been taught maths. Plato suggests that the slave boy remembers the answer to the problem, which has been in his mind all along. So, according to Plato, we don't learn new things, we remember them. In other words, knowledge is innate. Plato’s Theory of the Forms Plato believed that the world was divided into: 1. Reality and; 2. Appearance |REALITY ...
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...To Teach Effective Writing, Model Effective Writing ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JUNE 10, 2014 | UPDATED: JULY 14, 2015 * ------------------------------------------------- 8.1KSHARES * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- I strive to teach my high school students the value of criticism, especially when it comes to improving their writing. To do so, I model how criticism continues to help me become a better writer. Earlier this year, for example, I shared a draft of one of my education feature articles, which included detailed feedback from an editor at a prominent media company. I asked my classes for advice on how to address several edits, dealing with sources, transitions, terminology, and structure. A few days later, I directed my budding writers to the much-improved final draft. This easy but worthwhile activity helped more of my students feel comfortable receiving criticism, and not view it as an affront. As a result, they improved their writing by taking the time and care to consider and respond to reader insight. I want my students to feel secure in the knowledge that nobody is beyond criticism (even their teacher), and that the bigger challenge is developing the good sense to acknowledge and successfully respond to feedback. Along those lines, I also offer the suggestions below...
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...the close of the Victorian Era, has three specific aims. The first is to create or to encourage in every student the desire to read the best books, and to know literature itself rather than what has been written about literature. The second is to interpret literature both personally and historically, that is, to show how a great book generally reflects not only the author's life and thought but also the spirit of the age and the ideals of the nation's history. The third aim is to show, by a study of each successive period, how our literature has steadily developed from its first simple songs and stories to its present complexity in prose and poetry. To carry out these aims we have introduced the following features: (1) A brief, accurate summary of historical events and social conditions in each period, and a consideration of the ideals which stirred the whole nation, as in the days of Elizabeth, before they found expression in literature. (2) A study of the various literary epochs in turn, showing what each gained from the epoch preceding, and how each aided in the development of a national literature. (3) A readable biography of every important writer, showing how he lived and worked, how he met success or failure, how he influenced his age, and how his age influenced him. (4) A study and analysis of every author's best works, and of many of the books required for college-entrance examinations. (5)...
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