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The strength and weakness of existentialism philosophy
Essays on Existentialism
Essays on Existentialism
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This paper will compare the attitudes of each character in their respective story. Included will be a reference page for further study. Both stories will be discussed in detail and the author will explain message he/she felt the philosopher was trying to relay to the audience and how their own philosophy compares. Focusing on the ‘Why’ of all things in existence philosophers are faced with an arduous task of finding answers to the unknown; making philosophy a field of study that is virtually endless. So much so, that many people have given their entire lives in the pursuit of answers to these ‘Whys’. One of these people being the Greek philosopher Plato. In his story ‘The Cave’, we find his characters in chains, forced to look at a single …show more content…
No matter which direction The Brahmin goes in search of knowledge there will be only more questions than answers. How can philosophy, a tool meant to help man evolve, cause him so much discomfort? Is it essential to our lives to experience these pains? Those who do not care to know, are they happier than those who do? I feel The Brahmin (like Socrates) is casting judgment down on these people for what he ASSUMES to be the case. Much of this is an assumption on how more or less knowledge has a direct effect on happiness. I suppose this story (The Good Brahmin) illustrates a possible benefit of ignorance, while Plato’s work ‘The Cave’ shows us the danger. I sense The Brahmin to have settled on a reality where he will never have all the answers. That we (humans) are a part of the grand mystery known as Life. How it is no different than the number ‘2’ trying to understand its role in an …show more content…
Though I do find myself judging others from time to time. Which I find to be more of an exercise (a positive) than anything else. I agree with both messages these philosophers are trying to deliver. Ignorance can be dangerous if we are not aware of its existence, however, by compartmentalizing our ignorance and adjusting the levels can we learn to live with it, still enjoying life. How not knowing too much or too little but just enough (balance), is the way to
One of the world’s most revered philosophers, Plato, was born in 428 BC. As a young man, Plato, became a devout student of Socrates. Plato quickly adopted Socrates’ teachings and turned his studies toward the question of virtue and noble character. After the execution of his beloved mentor, Plato founded the first English university called the Academy. He wanted thinkers to have a place were they could word toward better government for Greek cities. Over the duration of his life Plato wrote many books, and his most influential work is The Republic. Out of The Republic comes a chapter entitled “Allegory of the Cave”.(“Plato”)
Francis Marie Arouet was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris, France. As a child, Arouet grew up in an atmosphere that strictly obeyed the rules of the church. During this time, faith in the church was an obligation for everyone in society and the authority of the church was never questioned, for this would definitely mean instant death. Meanwhile, Arouet enrolled at the Jesuit College of Louis-Le-Grande where he excelled in academics especially his skills in writing. After his schooling, Arouet became noticed by much of the aristocracy for his writing and eventually was imprisoned for supposedly composing two offensive works, the Puerto Regnanto and J’aivu.1 While serving his confinement, he assumed the name de Voltaire. After choosing the new name, Voltaire said, "I was very unlucky under my first name. I want to see if this one will succeed any better."2 Upon his release from the Bastille, Voltaire was exiled to England, a country he grew very fond of. At this time, freedom of speech was continuously exemplified throughout the country of England; Voltaire found this toleration very advantageous to the beginnings of his opinion. While in England, Voltaire decided to redirect his purpose of writing; he now decided to fight for the right of human liberty. From the time Voltaire moved to England through the remainder of his life, he marked the beginning of a new period, the Englightment, a time where he would continuously mock the idea of religion and reinforce the idea of human liberty and opinion fearlessly through his many plays, literature, and essays.
The classic work, “Plato, The Allegory of the Cave” vividly represents an individual’s will to master enlightenment or failure thereof. Furthermore, the piece attempts to facilitate learning in hopes to encourage or expand deep-thinking among its society. Additionally, the work utilizes a cave, chains, shadows, and an escapee which symbolically represents an individual’s need to confront comfort level, enslavement, perception, and freedom. From this translation, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave demonstrates a notable interest and most importantly provides a detailed illustration of how one can achieve knowledge or miscarry it altogether. Individuals can accept the familiar or comfortable and remain enslaved by their own willingness or unwillingness
In order to further comprehend Plato’s analogy and thought behind “Allegory of the Cave”, we are obliged to learn of his uprising as a philosopher and what his beliefs were. Plato was originated from a wealthy, noble family in Athens, Greece and pursued a career in politics until the execution of his teacher Socrates, then he had turned to lecturing philosophy himself. “Unlike his mentor Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings are in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the principal speaker. The allegory presents, in brief form, most of Plato's major philosophical assumptions: his belief that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only a poor copy of it, and that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually; his idea that knowledge cannot be transferred from teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing student's minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to apprehend it for themselves; his faith that the universe ultimately is good; his conviction that enlightened individuals have an obligation to the rest of society, and that a good society must be one in which the truly wise (the Philosopher-King) are the rulers.”
In conclusion, Plato's story of the cave brings up many philosophical points and most importantly, addresses the issue of society's role in our lives. To some degree, we are all influenced by the thoughts and actions of others; however, at the same time, we have the ability to question, draw our own conclusions, and ultimately make our own choices.
The legacy of François Marie Arouet, or Voltaire is not only a vast collection of writings, but also a world that has been radically and directly affected by these works and the activities of their author. While Voltaire did not create many of the ideas he professed, his success at disseminating these is unparalleled. He summed up with the most panache of anyone of his day the central issues of the Enlightenment, and rallied with the greatest fervour to see his beliefs tangibly realised.
The Influence of Voltaire’s Philosophical Works on the French Revolution. The philosophical works of Voltaire, such as Candide, influenced the beginning of the French Revolution, promoting new ideas and concepts. Voltaire used both wit and sarcasm to prove his points against injustice and cruelty. Voltaire was exiled to England for many years, and while there, he became influenced by the English government systems, associated himself with Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Sir Francis Bacon.
Plato’s concept of The Allegory of the Cave is another idea based on his theory of forms. The theory argues that our knowledge of reality/forms is not real knowledge; only our knowledge of these fo...
Whilst both authors put forth an opinionated view of moral issues, the opinions presented leaned more traditionally. Immorality in every instance was analyzed through an inherently negative lens. This biased exploration of moral issues leaves the reader with a conflicting mindset. One might like the characters and disagree with how they acted, or the bias put forth changes how the reader views the characters as a whole. Looking through the inner conflicts and external conflicts present in both works one can see the similar methods authors take to examine moral issues as well as the difficulty of removing a personal investment an author might
Franḉois Marie d’Arouet, also known by his pen name Voltaire, was a very famous philosopher from Paris, France. After being exiled from France and moving to England for a few years, he discovered the great works of John Locke, and was inspired. Based on John Locke’s beliefs and ideas, Voltaire came up with his own list of beliefs and ideas. While in England for a couple of years, Voltaire experienced the government they lived in and “praised [England’s] liberties and favored the idea of a strong monarch.” (Pomeau). Unlike Locke who strived for a democracy, Voltaire believed that a monarchy was the best form of government and did not advocate “government
The myth of the Cave, found in the seventh book of Plato’s Republic, depicts a group of people chained in the pit of a cavern, unable to see anything but the shadows of people, and the objects they carry with them, traveling past a fire behind them (186-7). This serves as an illustration of the epistemology Socrates had begun to develop in the preceding book with the images of the Sun and the Line. It also functions as a segue into the related discussion of educational theory. Additionally, though less apparent, the analogy can also be read as a defense of philosophy, an important topic for Plato in light of his teacher’s infamous death, “the founding myth of the academic discipline of philosophy” (Nails). Plato gives a heroic portrayal of
he main theme of Plato’s allegory of the cave is that we humans tend not to understand the true reality of our world. We think that we understand what we are looking at and sensing in our world, but we really just perceive shadows of the true forms of the things that make up the world.
Plato believed that in order to think philosophically one must have a sense of wonder. People must search for unity of knowledge, and have a desire to answer the big questions of life. He once said, “The feeling of wonder is the touchstone of the philosopher, and all philosophy has its origins in wonder.” One question that metaphysics addresses is, what is the nature of reality? Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is insightful at attempting to explain the nature of reality.
- Gerzon, Robert. "Socrates: "The Unexamined Life Is Not worth Living"" Www.consciousearth.com. Conscious Earth, n.d. Web.
To fully analyze Plato's Theory of Education, an understanding of his Allegory of the Cave is necessary. This parable begins with several prisoners chained by their legs and necks to restrict their movement. They cannot converse with one another; they can only see the dark wall of the back of the cave in front of them. Behind them is a fire and with its light, several men show the prisoners shadows of puppets. These images become reality for the prisoners; the truth to them is nothing but the shadows cast by these elusive objects (VII). This parable is symbolic of every individual's mindset before beginning an education in philosophy. Without this education, the truth, unbeknownst to the individual, will remain in the shadows. As a result, the individual will never achieve an immortal soul without having absolute truth revealed to him and thus removing himself from the darkness of the cave. However, it is impossible for the individual to accomplish this alone. A teacher of dialectics is necessary in order to successfully and completely be immersed in Plato's Theory of Education.