...very little light was shown. There only contact with mankind was echoes they heard from people passing by. What kind of life is this for these men? They had no understanding of life outside the cave. Plato later asks the question of one of these men being freed and getting a chance to see real light. How would this man react? How would he adjust to the light? This man finally was able to see the real images of life. After taking all of this in the man finally got to see the real light, the sun. Now his eyes are opened for the first time in his life. Then the man comes back to the cave. He has to readjust his eyesight to the darkness. Plato's divided line theory talks about the distinction between the different levels of knowledge and reality it wants us to imagine a vertical line. The left half is dedicated to metaphysics and the right half is dedicated to epistemology. Now imagine a horizontal line running through the middle of the vertical line to form quadrants. The upper left quadrant represents the intelligible world of being which is invisible, eternal, unchanging, and etc. The lower left quadrant represents the visible world of becoming, which is visible, temporal, changing, and more. The upper right quadrant represents knowledge. The lower right quadrant represents opinion. Next we imagine segments on the vertical line from lowest to highest. On the left...
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...if initially the term addiction was used to define people who used to take drugs or other substances in order to feel better, to be what they wanted to be and to illustrate another universe where they could live their lives the way they wanted, the signification of this word has crossed the border and has turned into a disease we all face at the moment. Although the main forms of addiction are caused by drugs, alcohol, narcotics, cigarettes, we are facing other addictions that we may not be aware of. To begin with, we have to open our eyes and see what the world is really like. Open your eyes wide. What do you see? You see what others make you see. Why? Because the media is controlling and manipulation us and makes us see a different reality. Try to have a conversation with a random person from the street. Wait! You may want to ask for his id messenger or you may want to see the Facebook profile. Give the children a toy. Watch them play. Surprise again! They are throwing it away because they want to play on the computer. Try team work. This is another thing you cannot see nowadays because everything is done either by machines or by people who work at home or work for themselves in separate offices. This is our problem. Being addicted to something makes us live in our own world. So, taking every individual and putting him of her in the society means having...
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...What Really is Reality? Reality can be defined as many different things, “The state of things as they are or appear to be rather than as one might wish them to be, the quality or state of being actual or true, totality of all things possessing actuality, existence or essence”(thefreedictionary),“ A real event/entity or state of affairs, something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily” (Merriam-Webster), “The world or the state of things as they actually exist as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them”(Google) These definitons all have a common factor of the idea of something being true or real, but how can you tell if it is or is not? Everyone has a different perspective or view on life, some persepctives are clear and some are not. There are many theories on perspectives and reality, but ultimately the choice of what to believe is yours. There are many modern movies that challenge the idea of reality, one in specific is titled Inception. The basic plot of science fiction film Inception tells the story of Dom Cobb and his business partner Arthur who perform illegal corporate espionage by entering the subconscious mind of their targets by using a “dream within a dream” strategy including many “dream levels” to obtain valuable information on their subjects. This strategy of entering minds can also change a person’s reality and perspecitve by enabeling Cobb to plant an idea into the person’s mind changing the outcome of what may or may...
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...Marilynne Robinsons “Freedom of thought” essay tackles modern science along with sacredness of religion. Robinson shatters the ideas that science and religion struggle for the same piece of turf. She writes about early scientific endeavors and the modern tendency to see religion as a universal part of human nature that is part of our rational thoughts. Robinson writes “Be that as it may, the effect of this idea, which is very broadly assumed to be true, is again to reinforce the notion that science and religion are struggling for possession of a single piece of turf, and science holds the high ground and gets to choose the weapons”. She opposes these statements and believes religion and science are not in conflict with each other but it is merely an assumption made by the modern society that is America. The bold statement stiffens the notion that religion and science are involved in a cold war environment. Today many are intrigued by the idea of science and how the world came to existence and with more discoveries about the world the more people are going to choose a side whether that is fact (science) or fiction (religion). Robinson can try to break the idea of religion vs. science but in the modern world its either you’re an atheist or u pick a religion. Think about the times when science books were being burned by Christians on account of the books going against God and made man seem as if he found how life was truly created. While on the opposing side scientists...
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...The Value Of Our Actions. Sometimes is easier for people to understand what you mean by our own actions. The act of talking and not proving what you say might annoy people or disappoint them. In fact, showing what you mean when you’re teaching something is very helpful for society to understand better. And, also, words sometimes nowadays don’t mean the most understandable thing for people, you need to show it if you want to say it, or they will not believe you. Talking about if they will believe you or not, it depends on what you’re talking. For example, if you want to impress somebody, you need to show how impressive you are and tell always the truth before telling him or her lies. Because of that type of issues, people are starting to reject words that people (such as magazines) say without proof. Years ago, things were different because when someone said something, real or unreal, people used to believe in it. Of course, some kinds of things are still believed without proof, but that’s just because people want it to be real but the truth is that they aren’t. Truth or lie, people nowadays must show what they mean by actions that sometimes make people annoyed. In our society, things are getting very complicated because nobody agrees in what to believe in. Also, people say something but they don’t have any actions to show what they’re saying. In fact, there’s an action for everything you want to say, but finding the action is the hardest part. But, when people start finding...
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...1. What is the significance between black and white? As for the transition from Black and White to Colour, it really represents not only the point in the movie where people started to express themselves more freely, but it also represents, even in today's society the fact that we still try and live in a black and white society. We are very judgemental and try to get people to conform to our way of thinking. It is worth noting that if the movie were to continue on in say a sequel it would have to eventually turn back into black and white because that reality would become the new conformity and thus start to lose all the colour from that world. This is what life really is for those that choose to live a full life. One of constant change. That's why it is so important to realize the futility of trying to hold onto anything too tightly. 2. David (toby McGuire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoom) how does Pleasantville change them? David begins to realize that the perceived happiness in Pleasantville is not nearly as fulfilling as he hoped it would be. As a result, he slowly evolves from dreamy outcast to leader of the changes that take place in Pleasantville. Jennifer, through her own personality, sparks the initial changes in the town. However, as the story continues, she begins to understand the limitations she has placed on herself in her own life. Her reading of a D. H. Lawrence novel signifies her effort to change herself, and thus, affect her own transformation. By the...
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...Page 1 John Paras Grand Canyon University Com 126 April 30, 2010 Page 2 The Allegory of the Cave from the faculty of Washington College, is the article I found that gave me meaning as to what Plato was trying to say . It showed that the Prisoners saw only the shadows of what the puppet men were carrying and they only said what they thought the images were . In the example the prisoners thought he “ saw a book , but he was not seeing a book , he was seeing a shadow of a book . “ Plato’s point is that they were referring to shadows they saw on the wall and not the actual item that the puppet men were carrying in front of the fire that caused it to make a shadow on the wall. The example given in The Allegory of the Cove shows us that the prisoners were no really seeing the object but the shadow of an object that was reflected on the wall , if they could have turned around , which they could not , because they were chained , they would have seen that the real item was being carried by the...
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...Budget and Commentary Establishing a budget for my own allows me to have a clear figure of my real life state of finance. First of all, I thought about my income. I am a full time student and do not have a part time job at the moment, so all my income is from my parents in China. The amount they send is always more than I need; after setting a budget, I find myself want to spend less and save up some money for the future so then they can spend less on my living expenses. Another thing is that I made a goal for myself after this budgeting system is made, compare to what I am planning to spend in my budget, in real life at the current state of my life, I recorded my daily expenses and I am about spending 30% more that I need, for example, for groceries shopping (perishable and non-perishable goods), I set a budget for myself that I could spend $145, and this is all I can remember so I think this is all I need basically. But in real life, I often very easily spend more than this amount because some goods are on sale and I bought them even I don’t really need them in the near future, for example on sale headphones, posters, chewing gum in family pack. Then I decided after I set up this budget for myself, I should give up buying things like this and save up for a holiday or for other more worth buying...
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...Plato uses analogy to help describe philosophical difference between physical world and the difference of the world of forms. In short the analogy explains to others about the physical world as nothing but full of illusion. He describes the true reality is to be found in the eternal unchanging world of forms. The analogy begins in the cave. The cave represents the visible world or the world of sense experience, where the shadows seem more real than truth itself. It indirectly represents the human body, which imprisons the soul preventing it from seeking the true knowledge. People are chained up in the cave such a way that all prisoners are facing the wall. They are chained up in a way that they can only look ahead of them at the wall of the cave. The only light in the cave comes from the fire. There is a wall behind the prisoners and fire is located behind the wall. Behind the wall other people are walking up and down carrying statues on their heads. The prisoners observe the shadows that flicker before them. The prisoners believe the shadows are reality as that is all they are able to see. If they hear the people behind the wall they associate the sounds made by individuals with the shadows. They think of the shadows as the true reality. Plato represents our condition as human beings; he describes that our senses chain us and cause us to accept the world around us, symbolised as the cave. In this analogy the prisoners symbolize ordinary people who have not yet discovered...
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...submit that the most telling effect is on children’s health. Many have to wear spectacles because of weak eyesight due to continuous viewing of TV. The regularity of life suffers a lot. Homework is its victim. Studies are not done properly to save time for TV. I feel strongly that TV viewing exposes the children to an easy life as it is seen in films. But outside, the life is different. Children think that life is like that as is seen in films etc. So this causes frustration at a later stage. The gap between dream (things are shown materializing in a moment in the programmes more popular with children as in a dream) and reality increases and results in disillusionment. So TV viewing is not helping children in making them as responsible and understanding adults. In my opinion, we are giving them an environment which will drift them away from the realities of life. I submit that life is not simply a bed of roses. This will lead to frustration and disillusionment. We, in fact, are weakening the very foundation of our young India by exposing it to TV viewing. My last point of argument is this that the most serious and harmful effect of TV viewing is the exposure of young minds to violence. I feel very strongly that fighting’s in films, wars between countries, demonstrations or strikes shown in News bulletins or in news strips deaden the to other finer sensibilities necessary for a peaceful co-existence. Sometimes, these take them on a path of violence. I feel strongly that our...
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...ideas.” Everything that is around us makes up our world and our life. It is reality, until someone asks, “Are we the players or the puppets of our lives? Or are we both?” and it is such questioning of assumed certainty that characterizes postmodernism. The Matrix is a film directed by the Wachowski Brothers in 1999 portraying the rebellion of a group of people against an artificial reality that has imprisoned their mind while A Beautiful Mind directed by Ron Howard is a 2001 film that describes a man’s journey to accept the real world and ignore the imaginary one he created in his mind. Despite their contrasting nature, both texts are able to reflect postmodernist understanding through their composition and their exploration of the challenging idea of relative truth. Through this, it demonstrates that postmodernism is a way of thinking portrayed in the forms, features and structures of texts. The life that we live today is what we consider to be reality, but this is a relative truth for what proof is there that our world is real or fake? Such a concept is emphasized upon by the Wachowskis in the Matrix in which it presents a portrayal of the possibility of our world being in fact, a simulation. During the film, references are made to external sources such as Jean Baudrillard’s book of Simulcra and Simulation and Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams in order to allude to hyperreality, a state where reality has been replaced by an illusion. As well as that, during the film, Trinity...
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...Essay PHIL 201 July 7, 2014 Essay After reading these pieces I concluded that the central theme is being awaken from a false reality but each piece differs in the action that follow the awakening. The Matrix is set in a futuristic setting, where the theory of being controlled by a massive computer is a real possibility. What I find most interesting is that Plato actually describes the concept of The Matrix, almost as if Plato’s dialogue was used an inspiration. In The Matrix and Plato’s dialogue, humans are not physically living the life they perceive as “real” but are stationary beings who are forced to live a false reality prescribe to them. This is where René Descartes’ excerpt differs from the previously mentioned. The person is aware of possibility that what he knows as true could be false, that how could we know if what we are living is done consciously or if our existence is but a dream. All of the excerpts also rely on the reasoning that the mind is the sole contributor of our existence and our physical senses only respond to what the mind knows. The differences in the readings is based on the actions or possible outcomes that occur once the awakening has taken place. In The Matrix, Neo decides to act and decides to embark on a journey to discover reality not being controlled by a computer. Plato’s dialogue is different because this is based on a hypothetically theory, so while there is no physically action the questions lies in how would people respond to...
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...believable to us. They accept and recognize a valid principle to be true if the conditions remain relatively same. Interpretative scholars hesitate to give meaning to objective reality, they believe in interpreting the truth which is seen as subjective. Interpretative scholars are comfortable with notion that, meaning is in the mind rather than the verbal signs. Hard- line determinists believe that our actions are drive by heredity and environment. The free-will purists claim that we are responsible for making every decision and every action throughout our lifetime. According to behavioral scientists, human beings accept every stimulus which is exposed to them by their surroundings and they accept any stimuli without questioning its purpose. On the other hand, interpretive scholars choose phrase such as “in order to” or “so that” because they claim human beings to be free-agents and they are able to respond differently. It is problematic for the behavioral scientists because predictive behavior is being challenged by a higher rate of individual freedom in decision making. The professional values of communication theorists reflect the commitments they have made concerning knowledge and human nature. Being a behavioral scientist, Glenn has to maintain his objectivity. He doesn’t want people to distort their reality, based on his research. Marty is not afraid to examine his own ideology. He is encouraging people to criticize an action; for example, he is providing people to resist the...
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...A thing in existent may be inexistent. A thing inexistent may be existent. This shows the beauty in postmodernism because it gives us an endless possibility of expressing ourselves. Indeed, a message may be communicated by the use of signifiers which is essentially the heart of postmodernism. A thing, which may be nothing, may be something when viewed differently. Hence, something that does not exist in a work of art may be seen through the connotation of the thing in some other aspects of our lives. For instance, a sun may signify hope, which may then signify attainment of dreams, which may signify success, and so on – the possibility is infinite. From this single thing in a work of art, we may infer different things in different perspectives. However, we may convey a specific meaning in our work when we present the sun with other different things connected to it, making the items interconnected and forming distinct, closely-related messages. Nevertheless, conveyance of ideas by applying postmodernism doesn’t end in what we see, because, in truth, there are many more ideas that are yet to be seen. What strikes me the most about postmodernism is the disorientation that it incites from people. The deconstruction of what is because it is not and what is not because it is. From this, we are obviously confused for how can a thing be something when it is nothing or be nothing when it is something. Here comes the quality of postmodernism that is usually paradoxical, full of irony...
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...Locke was a 17th-century English philosopher whose ideas formed the foundation of liberal democracy and greatly influenced both the American and French revolutions. His contributions to philosophy include the theory of knowledge known as empiricism, which addressed the limits of what we can understand about the nature of reality. Locke held that our understanding of reality ultimately derives from what we have experienced through the senses. The political implications of his theories included the notions that all people are born equal and that education can free people from the subjugation of tyranny. Locke also believed that government had a moral obligation to guarantee that individuals always retained sovereignty over their own rights, including ownership of property that resulted from their own labor. We may remark, in passing, that the modern theory of the transmutation of species is nothing but an application of Locke's teaching that species have no objective reality. Let us also note the important fact that this extreme nominalism closely approximates extreme realism. Scholastic nominalism denies the reality of species, and absolutely affirms the reality of individuals to the exclusion of everything else. In this sense Leibniz is a nominalist. English nominalism, from which the theory of transformation takes its rise, denies not only the existence of species, but also the stability of the individuals themselves. All things, says Locke, besides their author, are liable to...
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