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short reading with 2 questions

Often we take an idea that is presented to us and due to our questions and use of logic and reason and expand that idea. This occurs with Socrates idea of soul. Plato changes it somewhat. Later Aristotle does. And, even later Thomas Aquinas, a Christian theologian, does.

For Socrates and Plato we come in with knowledge. (look at forms) There is the world of forms (perfect ideas) and our world that is imperfect. We see shadows of the perfect. Our psyche is the soul/mind that creates action.

We all ask who am I? Plato sees the self as divided.

Plato used an analogy to define soul. Envision a chariot, a soldier driving it and two horses are attached.

The Charioteer is reason, One horse is appetite and the other is passion.

We use reason to drive the chariot. We get the horses to work together. Yet, they may pull us in a direction.

Example: In a relationship we are looking for an intellectual companion. We can be pulled by love on one side (passion) and sex(appetite) on the other. We use reason to make the best choice. We control it, not the horses trying to pull us in a certain direction.

He would argue that if we have two conflicting desires regarding the same object at the same time, then there must be two unique things generating the conflict or desire because the same thing cant have conflicting desires at the  same time. Example: I go to a movie (Don’t I wish I could in the pandemic) I want to get an extra large soda. If I do I will have to go to the bathroom during the movie.  What should I do? Appetite should say one thing while reason would say another. (I would forgo the soda)

The spirited horse: does not use reason. This is the will of the person  to act. It is the seat of emotion. Allows us to act our desires or refrain from them.  Loves wining, gets angry at injustice. loves to overcome challenges.

The appetite horse: does not use reason. Forms desires based on the disposition of  the body.  Example is hunger. Looks at pleasures, comforts and physical satisfaction.

Charioteer: is the reasoning part of the soul. uses rationality to determine what to pursue and how to pursue it. Makes a judgment of what is good or bad. Weighs options. Analysis of options.

The symbol for the charioteer is the head, the spirited horse is heart and the appetitive horse is the gut/genitals.

Question 1. If you saw a  person being mugged by three people ( big strong men), what would you do? You are on your way to Trocaire for your final exam. It is your last semester before graduation. You have been told that if you are late you won’t be allowed in and if you miss the exam you must take the class over. Explain you answer and your reasoning.

Question 2. There is a vice attached to each part. For the charioteer it is pride, for the passionate horse it is anger or envy, for the appetitive horse it is gluttony, greed or lust. Does this seem realistic to you. Explain what makes each realistic or unrealistic.

Three short answer questions at the end of read on Plato and the cave 

An allegory written by Plato in the dialogue, “The Republic”, is the cave.

1. People are imprisoned from childhood in a cave. They are chained together.

2. Their legs and necks are fixed. They can only see  the wall in front of them.

3.They can not look at each other, or themselves, or around the cave.

4. Behind them is a fire.

5. Between the fire and the people is a walkway and a low wall.

6. People walk carrying objects.

7.People can only see the shadow of the  objects cast on the wall in front of them. They can hear the sounds of the people talking and echoing off the walls of the cave.

8. The people believe the sounds come from the objects.

9. The shadows are reality for them because they never see anything else.

10.They do not realize that what they see are shadows of the objects in front of the fire.

11. They do not realize the objects are inspired by real things outside the fire.

12. a person escapes from the cave.

13. He sees the reflection of real people and things on the water, including himself.

14. Later he sees people and things themselves.

15. eventually he is able to look at the stars, moon, and then the sun and reason about it.

16. The sun light hurts his eyes.

17. He returns to the cave to share what he has found and bring his fellow cave dwellers into the light.

18. It is hard for him to see inside the cave.

19. The people inside the cave infer he has been blinded by his journey outside the cave and they should not undertake such as journey.

An allegory has is a symbolic fictional story. It has a literal meaning and a symbolic one. You have to look beyond the literal to discover the meaning. The characters and events represent other things. An allegory can capture feeling and mood and present a complex idea in a simple form. Remember that Plato is a rationalist. Yet, the idea of forums and people having knowledge prior to birth is somewhat mystical. Plato believes there is absolute truth. Plato wants us to see the human journey from the standpoint of a rationalist. He raises the question of what we have to escape from to find truth.

Some symbol ideas:

cave is superficial reality, ignorance, accepting what is seen at face value

darkness is ignorance, belief that the shadows are real, the true form of the objects

chains: trapped in ignorance

shadows: superficial truth

freed prisoner: those who understand the physical world is a shadow of truth

the sun: glaring in the eyes is the higher world of ideas

the light is wisdom

Question 1: Do you think his allegory gets across the feeling of living a life of ignorance and the feeling of finding truth ?

Question 2: Would it be OK to find truth and not share it when you know the resistance you will face? Explain why or why not.

Question 3: The people are chained together from childhood not birth. Why do you think he chooses childhood and not birth?

As human beings we ask metaphysical questions such as what is real and where do we come from. What is truth. Today there is a lot of discussion about whether something that is said is true. A lie can not be truth because it can not be backed up by fact and is therefore false. It is part of being a human being. I don’t believe my dog is asking the same questions. We have curiosity. We want to know things. Plato is known for his theory of Forms. His idea is not original. He builds on ideas of other Greek Philosophers. Epistemology is a Greek term meaning the study (nature) of knowledge. What do we know and how do we know it. later we will study Rene Descartes, who is considered the Father of Epistemology. He lived in the 1500’s and made important connections between geometry and algebra.

1.Every object, function, and idea has an ideal form that is unchanging.

2. We have pre-knowledge of these forms within our soul. We are born with knowledge of the ideal.

3. The forms are universal and unchanging.

4. Our physical reality can nor be perfect. We try to get as close as possible.

These forms are not empirical, not testable by our senses.

Example he uses is a child and a table. The child come with pre-knowledge of the Form, seeing a table unlocks the ideal within the mind, the form existed before him, seeing the table unlocks the form, it is an approximate of the real. There was a real table before a prehistoric man ate dinner on a flat rock.

Homework:

Take one of Plato’s quotes below and write a paragraph explaining why you agree or disagree with it or how you would modify it. Give your reasons and explain an example.

Your silence gives consent

The measure of a man is what he does with power

Courage is knowing what not to fear

The greatest wealth is to be content with little

Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle

 

Socrotes Plato

Two questions paragraph short answers

Question 1. Socrates and Plato were good teachers. They engaged their students curiosity. If you were to name an outstanding teacher you have had, who would it be? How did that person engage your curiosity? Describe that person and their impact on you as a learner. You might want to describe an actual class or situation. 

Question 2. Plato believed society should help people achieve a life based on eudaimonia rather than a life based on doxa. This occurs as we do philosophy and examine our ideas. We change our values. I had a friend who worked hard to help her son get through medical school. She envisioned him being successful. She envisioned him having a thriving practice, making a lot of money and “living the good life.” She had worked hard to support him through medical school. He joined the Peace Core after medical school. She was devastated and angry. She did not speak to him for a long time. He had developed a different idea of what would make his life successful. When you look at how doxa is described, do you agree or disagree that those are the wrong values? Every aspect of life in another Greek city state, Sparta, was geared to producing strong soldiers. The purpose of life was to win. If a battle was lost you did not come home defeated. Plato believes society should help people want the “more” in life, not just to win. Is it possible for someone to develop a life of eudaimonia and have some of the aspects described as doxa as a result of that life decision such as wealth or popularity?