wisdom and folly
Journal Entry #3
Wisdom and Folly
CMCL 301
(Condensed Journal Entries)
Colton O’Reilly
10060253
Oct 25th 2013
(Condensed journal entries - they must be single spaced, 12 pt., Times New Roman, and around half a page. You must do a minimum of 3 out of the 8 readings for this pillar. For these shortened entries, please answer the top three questions, and one of the personal response questions. )
Plato (Republic)
Colton O’Reilly
10060253
Nov 8th 2013
In the Allegory of the cave Plato is trying to explain the four stages in a humans life. The four stages include Imagination, Belief, Thought and Understanding. In the story it tells of how these men are chained down forced to face at a wall and are never allowed out of this cave. The only thing they see is a shadow from some statues behind them. When the one man is released he realizes that he had just imagined what life could be but then when he saw the fire he realized these imaginations were now beliefs. As he was taken out into the world and allowed more freedom he realized that he could now create his own thought and with that had a full understanding of life. This is what Plato believed schools should try to teach us however it is not the case. This brings up the fundamental cultural assumption of unwise people live in a world of illusions. For the men in the cave, they knew no better than the shadows on the wall, this is the same for people who do not keep up with society. Humans who are uneducated, uncaring of political issues and people with no determination or drive cannot really achieve anything. People with this lacking nature are just like the men in the cave, bound down and unable to see what the rest of the world looks like. ““To them,” I said, “The truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.”” (WLT, 340) These men knew of nothing else, but what they saw, is this how we live our lives? Knowing only what is in front of us, not
Wisdom and Folly
CMCL 301
(Condensed Journal Entries)
Colton O’Reilly
10060253
Oct 25th 2013
(Condensed journal entries - they must be single spaced, 12 pt., Times New Roman, and around half a page. You must do a minimum of 3 out of the 8 readings for this pillar. For these shortened entries, please answer the top three questions, and one of the personal response questions. )
Plato (Republic)
Colton O’Reilly
10060253
Nov 8th 2013
In the Allegory of the cave Plato is trying to explain the four stages in a humans life. The four stages include Imagination, Belief, Thought and Understanding. In the story it tells of how these men are chained down forced to face at a wall and are never allowed out of this cave. The only thing they see is a shadow from some statues behind them. When the one man is released he realizes that he had just imagined what life could be but then when he saw the fire he realized these imaginations were now beliefs. As he was taken out into the world and allowed more freedom he realized that he could now create his own thought and with that had a full understanding of life. This is what Plato believed schools should try to teach us however it is not the case. This brings up the fundamental cultural assumption of unwise people live in a world of illusions. For the men in the cave, they knew no better than the shadows on the wall, this is the same for people who do not keep up with society. Humans who are uneducated, uncaring of political issues and people with no determination or drive cannot really achieve anything. People with this lacking nature are just like the men in the cave, bound down and unable to see what the rest of the world looks like. ““To them,” I said, “The truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.”” (WLT, 340) These men knew of nothing else, but what they saw, is this how we live our lives? Knowing only what is in front of us, not