Evolutionary Philosophy
  • Home
  • Worldview
    • Epistemology
    • Metaphysics
    • Logic
    • Ethics
    • Politics
    • Aesthetics
  • Applied
    • Know Thyself
    • 10 Tenets
    • Survival of the Fittest Philosophers >
      • Ancient Philosophy (Pre 450 CE)
      • Medieval Philosophy (450-1600 CE)
      • Modern Philosophy (1600-1920 CE)
      • Contemporary Philosophy (Post 1920 CE)
    • 100 Thought Experiments
    • Elsewhere
  • Fiction
    • Draining the Swamp >
      • Further Q&A
    • Short Stories
    • The Vitanauts
  • Blog
  • Store
  • About
    • Purpose
    • My Evolution
    • Evolution 101
    • Philosophy 101

Evolutionary Thoughts on Plato's Allegory of the Cave

7/31/2015

0 Comments

 
This week's thought experiment, titled Bursting the Soap Bubble, is a modernized adaptation of perhaps the most famous parable in the history of philosophy -- Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Let's read the update quickly and then compare it to the original before considering the usefulness of this kind of story.

-------------------------------------------------
     Members of the bizarre Weatherfield sect lived a very secluded life at St Hilda Hogden House. All but the leaders were forbidden any contact with the outside world and were taught that reality was the world portrayed on soap operas - the only television programs they were allowed to watch. For the Weatherfieldians, as they were known, Coronation Street, The Bold and the Beautiful, EastEnders, and Neighbours were not works of fiction but fly-on-the-wall documentaries. And since most of the members had been born in the commune, the pretence was not hard to maintain.
     One day, however, disciple Kenneth, who had always been a touch rebellious, decided to leave Hogden's and visit the places he had seen so often on the altar box. This was, of course, strictly prohibited. But Kenneth managed to escape.
     What he found amazed him. The biggest shock came when he managed to get to Coronation Street and discovered it wasn't in Weatherfield at all, but was a set in the Granada Studios.
     But when he furtively returned to Hogden's and told his fellow disciples what he had discovered, he was dismissed as a lunatic. 'You should never have left,' they told him. 'It's not safe out there. The mind plays tricks on you!' And with that they chased him from the commune and forbade him to enter again.

Baggini, J., The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, 2005, p. 55.
-------------------------------------------------

The original Allegory of the Cave takes up only four pages in my edition of The Republic, but rather than type that all in here, it'd be easier for you to click over and read a pdf version online from Stanford. Or, if you prefer, you can just watch this 4-minute summary made by TED-Ed.

Picture
Updated picture from Great Dialogues of Plato (Warmington and Rouse, eds.) New York, Signet Classics: 1999. p. 316.
From this, the parallels to the Weatherfield sect being forced to watch soap operas all their lives should be obvious. But regardless of what limited version of reality the subjects are viewing, the most common scholarly interpretation of this story is an epistemological one that "interprets the allegory of the cave as one about human ignorance and a people who are unable or unwilling to seek truth and wisdom."

Plato used this story to describe the feelings a philosopher has when he tries to speak to the common man after going off to contemplate the "higher truths of reality." But the widespread and lasting power of this story is a testament to just how many groups and individuals have felt this way about others being chained to their views. Take this final passage for example:

Now imagine what would happen if he went down again to take his former seat in the Cave. Coming suddenly out of the sunlight, his eyes would be filled with darkness. He might be required once more to deliver his opinion on those shadows, in competition with the prisoners who had never been released, while his eyesight was still dim and unsteady; and it might take some time to become used to the darkness. They would laugh at him and say that he had gone up only to come back with his sight ruined; it was worth no one's while even to attempt the ascent. If they could lay hands on the man who was trying to set them free and lead them up, they would kill him.

How many people throughout history can identify with these feelings of righteousness as well as these fears of hostile incomprehension? Religious zealots, nationalist citizens, meditated yogis, drugged-out hippies, political warriors, scientific practitioners, evolutionary philosophers.....  Any group of "us" has the potential to see a group of "them" as chained fools. But each of us are also susceptible to committing logical fallacies (a list of which I detailed in my response to thought experiment number three), which blind us to our own blindspots. But, as Plato said,

Knowledge is justified true belief.

And as David Hume said,

A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.

When we can keep these definitions of fallacies and knowledge and wisdom in mind, we are much less likely to find ourselves staring at shadows or soap operas, or believing that others are the ones that are doing so. We've all come out of caves at some point in our personal and evolutionary history, so it would be far better to recognise that shared fact and discuss the light that we each see rather than comforting ourselves with stories of how others are mired in darkness.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to Help Shape This Evolution

    SUBSCRIBE

    Blog Philosophy

    This is where ideas mate to form new and better ones. Please share yours respectfully...or they will suffer the fate of extinction!


    Archives

    February 2025
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    April 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    January 2023
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    May 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.