Wednesday Wisdom

Who

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher, one of the most influential figures in Western philosophy. Born into an aristocratic family in Athens in 427 BC, Plato was a student of Socrates and later became the teacher of Aristotle, forming a foundational triad in Western thought.

Plato, whose real name was Aristocles, likely received a thorough education in philosophy, music, poetry, and gymnastics, as was customary for young men of his social class. His nickname "Plato" refers to his broad physique which comes from the Greek "platos" meaning "broad.

What he produced

"The Republic" is one of Plato's most famous and influential works, written around 380 BCE. It is a philosophical dialogue that explores justice, the nature of the ideal government, and the role of the individual within society. Through conversations, primarily between Socrates and young men of Athens, Plato delves into questions of morality, politics, education, and the human soul. In book VII of the Republic, Plato introduces the “Allegory of the Cave” which shows us how easily we can be fooled by fake things and how surprising the truth can be when we first learn about it. This allegory, which isn’t just a story, but a deep lesson about life and the search for truth.

In the allegory, Plato describes a group of prisoners who have been chained inside a dark cave for their entire lives. They are bound in such a way that they can only see the wall of the cave in front of them. Behind them is a fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a walkway where people move objects. These objects cast shadows on the cave wall of people, animals and objects, which the prisoners perceive as reality since they have never seen anything else.

One of the prisoners is freed from the chains and allowed to leave the cave. At first, he is blinded by the sunlight outside, but as his eyes adjust, he begins to see the real world for the first time. He realizes that the shadows on the cave wall were just illusions, and that true reality exists outside the cave. Eventually, he comes to understand that the sun, which illuminates everything, is the source of life and knowledge.

Plato surmises that if the freed prisoner returns to the cave to share his newfound knowledge with the others, they will likely resist and refuse to believe him, as they are accustomed to the shadows and see them as the only reality. For Plato, this played out in real life as his teacher Socrates was forced to drink hemlock for the crime of corrupting the Athens youth, when in reality he was forcing people to think independently.

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” isn’t about giving us a clear answer to a problem. Instead, it’s a way to make us think and question everything we see or perceive. The story ends with us thinking about our own journey to learn and become better. It’s about moving from what we know now, which might not be complete or true, to somewhere brighter where we understand more about ourselves and the world.

2024 Why should you care

Epistemology is the study of knowledge and asks questions like “What is knowledge?” and “How do we know something is true?” It’s closely related to the allegory because Plato is showing us how hard it can be to really know the truth.

The allegory is a lesson about learning and obtaining knowledge. In the beginning, knowledge is fuzzy or cast in shadows. Later the sun shines light on more knowledge and information becomes clearer. In addition, when the freed prisoner goes back to the cave, the other prisoners deny his new reality and newfound knowledge he has, preferring to remain in their own non enlightened reality. The allegory is also a poignant lesson about human nature.

Plato teaches a valuable lesson about being open-minded and always looking to learn. Instead of just taking things as they are, it encourages us to ask questions, seek the truth, and not be afraid to change our minds when we find new information. The cave is a symbolic place where we might be stuck, but learning and questioning can be the light that leads us out to a bigger and brighter world.

This allegory is important because it helps us understand that it’s easy to accept simple answers and not look deeper. Realizing that there’s more to learn, even if it’s tough, is a huge part of growing and becoming wiser. Plato is encouraging all of us to move from the shadows of ignorance to the sunlight of knowledge.

And now you know...

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

Thank you, Dad, for the gift of curiosity

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.