Patrick King Expository Writing Maya Alapin Eng Sec 35

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Education of the Cave Plato was a philosopher, a student of Socrates scripture. He came from a family of politicians in the democracy of Greece. His family was wealthy, so he had access to excellent education and educational discussions. His family wanted him to take his place in politics but he chose to examine the path of the human condition. I have decided to discuss one of these conditions in detail. In the works of Platos the Republic, The Allegory of the Cave has a hidden message that leaves the reader to ponder the interpretation. With this in mind, what is the definition of metaphysics and truth, what is the meaning of education, and how do we apply this newly found education to the world. Reality for the prisoners in the cave was a distant wall of shadows of various objects. Each object was a distorted figure of animals or humans, but the prisoners were clueless. All they have ever known was in front of them. Assuming the wall depicts the trails and errors of human existence, we cannot foresee the future but make rational decisions on a daily basis. In a sense human existence endures an environment proportionate to that of the lives of the prisoners. We are imprisoned with in our own thought process and that needs to be freed. (McPherran) Metaphysics can be explained that our actions have consequences. However, this goes hand in hand with, The kind of epistemology we select qualifies what we take to be metaphysically real (Reeves 147). When Plato makes this statement he is referring to the fact that knowledge goes hand into hand with reality. What we assume to be real or truth is defined through the knowledge and experience we gain. With that in mind, people have various experience and no two are the same. Who is to say that one person is right or

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wrong. For this reason, Society needs to understand that in order to function successfully we need to keep a malleable mindset. Consume as much ideas as possible in order to obtain identity. So one must look at their own life views and decisions that have lead them to the present. A persons life view is truth, their decision are represented as reality. Reeves suggest, Many never think much about, but their thoughts are there and have a more powerful influence on the way we live than we might think(Reeves 154), what really comes into play is how a person views the universe. Cruel or good intentions of the universe can influence a persons thought process. So there is no real way to explain or prove this type of thinking because there are always exceptions. Take for instance a child has alcohol abusing parents; statistic might say the child will abuse alcohol as they get older. However, what if the child grows up with negative thoughts about alcohol and refrains from use. Philosophy offers clues and hints into what are reality and truth, but its quickly followed up with more questions as oppose to answers. Human freedom and reason has the power to create or destroy what happens in reality. Seeking truth we might be able to statically mold the outcomes of the future but in reality no one really knows. (Roochnik) Education for the prisoners was being taken out of the cave and exposed to the light of outside world. The world was unknown with its vast cities, blue sky, and humbling mountains. The prisoner never imagined a world outside the cave and for the first time being exposed to an alien world, one cant imagine how that felt. The prisoner

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was dragged to the outside world. Notice the character refused to leave the cave, the cave promotes comfort. The prisoner was held captive since birth so I would assume that being exposed to such knowledge made him afraid. Education is powerful; it can even influence the most courageous man to be afraid of his own shadow. After some time the prisoner reaction was full of curiosity and delight. Acceptance and analysis of this illumination changed a lifetime perspective in just a few minutes. Engaging in the right activities, which is identical with having the right education, is most important for the young, since they are easily impressionable and will take on whatever stamp is impressed upon them. (216 Vasiliou). Plato explains that as a child it is best to be exposed to as many avenues of knowledge possible. Therefore, the child will have a firm understanding of what is expected of them as they age. They will know the difference of right and wrong with cognitive thinking. Their parents will play an important role, but also viewing society with day to day interactions will set a foundation. This would mean that with the newly found education of the prisoner, he would rather be content with spending his entire life in the cave. He doesnt understand societys norms and laws. His only understanding of his world is the dancing shadows of various figures and shapes. It is to my understanding that once released, the prisoner will soon flock back to the cave and take his place among the chains but in the allegory the exact opposite took place.

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As you may know the prisoner tried going back into the cave and explain to the prisoners of the newly found detail. He had seen the light of the sun shine upon earths glory. The prisoners did not understand, in fact they just assumed he was another shadow as opposed to a colleague that served time with them. Upon hearing the tall tale, the prisoners were mortified from the newly obtained details of the outside world they became bloodthirsty. They unwittingly went about their lives being chained to the cave floor without current knowledge. They ignored what the freed prisoner was trying to tell them. Reeves explains, He would be free from his programmed slavery to the second hand illusions and cured from his unbelievable ignorance.(188 Reeves). My explanation of this is when comparing education and new realizations to the uneducated, its not going to be obvious. People are instilled from their youth that what they have acquired through their education and experience is truth. People shy away when it interferes with their own truth and purpose. However, sharing to the uneducated has its own challenges. With that in mind, you would have to make attempts at a tortoise pace. Slowly giving ideas in hopes the multitude ponders the issues and have questions. When a lone individual finds knowledge worth sharing, its the duty and responsible choice as an educated person to share. As much as they reject, keeping a firm foundation and remaining true will eventually have its benefits. Reality and truth play an important role in our lives. I feel that this is the beginning stages of life. Finding the foundation of what we hold as truths is crucial for

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shaping the person who we will become. We can learn from The Cave as educated individuals we need to find our passion in the world. Finding our educational passion, we can devote ourselves into becoming experts because its what we enjoy. After gaining knowledge of the chosen subject area, we could say they are truth and our foundation. Striving for excellence and keeping an open mind we should be ready to share this wealth of knowledge to the masses. Education is powerful, it can be used for good or bad. Responsibility for a person is to keep updated with current ideas in the subject area they are interested in. This will help you pass along information to those who are willing and interested. Taking my own advice I have found this topic gratifying, because at the beginning I was filled with skepticism. I felt threatened, dumbfound that metaphysics was fictitious. I perceived that science was fact and anything beyond that was absurd. Research of The Cave allegory has changed my view of philosophical belief. Questions upon questions of human existence and perception have me interested. I will further improve my understanding of the topic by taking classes.

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McPherran L, Mark, Recognition Remembrance and Reality: New Essay on Platos Epistemology and Metaphysics. Academic Printing and Publishing. 1999. Print. Reeves M, Francis, Platonic Engagement: A Contemporary Dialogue on Morality Justice and the Business World. University Press of America, 2004. Print. Roochnik, David, The Tragedy of Reason: Toward a Platonic Conception of Logos. Routledge, Chapman and Hall, Inc. 1990. Print Vasiliou, Iakovos, Aiming at Virtue in Plato, Cambridge University Press. 2008. Print.