It is important to realize‚ when reading the allegory of the cave and of the line‚ that Plato means to depict not only four ways of thinking‚ but four ways of life. To use an example‚ imagine that a person in each of these stages were asked to say what courage is. The understanding of courage would differ widely from stage to stage. Working with a possible interpretation of the imagination stage‚ an individual’s notion of courage in this stage would appeal to images from culture. Such an individual
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Lucy Flowers Prof. David Seitz Eng 7120--Journal Entry #2 21 Jan. 2013 [Rhetoric]...seems to be a pursuit that is not a matter of art‚ but showing a shrewd‚ gallant spirit which has a natural bent for clever dealing with mankind‚ and I sum up its subsance in the name of flattery" (Plato 97). In Plato’s dialogue‚ Socrates’ efforts to define and criticize the nature and purposes of rhetoric are evident in the quote mentioned above. When describing rhetoric‚ Socrates goes on to explain that
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In the opening statements of his essay “King Lear: Monstrous Mimesis”‚ Lawrence Schehy challenges us to rid ourselves of our simplistic expectations of a story devoted to a tail of “Filial devotion”. He asks of us that we see the characters past their transparent descriptions‚ and look for a deeper understanding as to why is it that they are portrayed as such. Schehy‚ blames the transparent nature of the play on the tone of language that the characters employ. In addition Schehy exclaims that compared
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Explain Plato’s teaching about Reality through his analogy of the cave Plato’s ‘analogy of the cave’ appears in his most noted work The Republic. The analogy (a story with a metaphorical meaning) has the purpose of detailing Plato’s theory about reality‚ and the difference between the constantly changing physical realm‚ and the absolute‚ eternal and unchanging realm of forms. Plato aimed to show that the physical realm was not as ‘real’ as the world of forms‚ and that true knowledge could only
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Plato and Aristotle attempt to arrive at a set of moral principles dealing with‚ what is considered good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. Plato believed that concepts had an ideal and universal form which lead to his idealistic philosophy. Aristotle believed that universal forms were not linked to an object or concept but needed to be analyzed on its own. Although Aristotle was a student of Plato‚ he did not necessarily agree with Plato’s theory on morality. Aristotle was more focused
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Allegory of the Cave Plato realizes that the general run of humankind can think‚ and speak‚ without any awareness of his realm of Forms. The allegory of the cave is supposed to explain this. In the allegory‚ Plato likens people untutored in the Theory of Forms to prisoners chained in a cave‚ unable to turn their heads. All they can see is the wall of the cave. Behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet‚ along which puppeteers can walk. The
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Explain the way Plato’s concept of the Form of Good might influence the way Christians understand God Plato said that the knowledge of the Good is the highest knowledge a human is capable of. A human being struggles to see past the illusion of this world because they are ruled by their senses. Only the person who investigates and questions learns the truth behind this illusion. Plato believed that most things have a Form‚ however some do not‚ such as evil. The Forms he believed that some were
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Ring of Gyges Response Throughout the back-and-forth debate between Socrates and his comrades on the definition of justice‚ many questions are raised about the integrity and justice of mankind. Does man practice justice because he truly believes in it? Or perhaps because humans fear the consequences of committing injustice? In Book II‚ Glaucon attempts to tackle the question and points out 3 kinds of justice: the kind that is good in itself‚ the kind that is good in itself and its results‚ and
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The main idea behind Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics revolves around the form of happiness: happiness is the exercise of virtue‚ it is the drive for action‚ and it is the destination of purpose. In other words‚ happiness is final and self-sufficient. Being able to achieve happiness is rare‚ and not many people can obtain it because they have not mastered virtue. The great-souled man‚ however‚ has mastered virtue and is‚ therefore‚ considered the best kind of person. He is one who has surpassed the
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Plato describes‚ in his analogy of the Myth of the Cave‚ a cave with chained prisoners watching shadows cast on the back of the wall of the cave. They hear voices and think these voices are coming from the shadows. Thus‚ believing these shadows are a reality. Plato then describes one of the prisoners becoming free from the chains. Someone then drags the prisoner upward out of the cave. Although he would be blinded by the light of the sun and the movement would be painful‚ he will be seeing the reality
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