fandomhigh | Practical Philosophy, Wednesday

"There aren't many philosophical thought experiments that get as much airtime as Plato's allegory of the cave," Ender said. "For the few of you who might not have been exposed to it - Plato ascribes to his mentor Socrates a story about a group of prisoners, chained to the wall in a cave. They can only see the wall in front of them. Behind them, there's a fire, and behind the fire, men and women pass by bearing figurines. But because of where they're trapped, the prisoners can only see the shadows. The shadows, then, are reality to them - only by leaving the cave would they be able to discover the truth behind the shadows, the perfect forms."

He sat back.

"Plato believed strongly in the theory of Forms," he said. "Everything we known and see, every object and every idea, is but an imperfect shadow of something greater, something pure and abstract."

He took a swig of water. "We won't be too concerned with Plato today, or at least his ideas," he said, "but we can use some of his vocabulary to talk about the subjectivity of our experiences and our worldviews. After all, Plato wanted to believe badly in some perfect world above our own - some solid truths that could not be seen in any other light."

"We live in a world where most are predisposed to investing in some kind of doctrine. Whether it be the religion you believe in or the morals you hold dear, there are some things we don't seek to question. Most of us like to believe that there really are perfect Forms of some capacity - abstracts that, when achieved, would bring perfection."

His mouth curved. "Of course, I don't need to tell you that isn't true," he said. "But there's a difference between knowing that and practicing it. So today, I'd like to pose you all a challenge - what's something you believe in that you've never really thought to question? Maybe it's something that informs the way you look at the people around you. Maybe it's something about how you feel about yourself. You don't need to denounce whatever it is that this is - I just ask you to find something you've never felt needed questioning."

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"What makes it different than a Wiggin sense of humor?" Cade wondered.

"We only get that obvious if the joke is about poop," Ender said, with a remarkably straight face.

Cade burst out laughing. "Really."

"You should meet my sister some day," Ender said dryly. "She's quite the wordsmith."

"That would be interesting," Cade said with a lopsided smile.

"She'll probably be amused by you," Ender said. "Fair warning."

"Is that a bad thing?" Cade asked.

"Not necessarily," Ender said wryly, "But keep your wits about you anyway."

Cade laughed. "That's the Wiggin part, huh?"

"Oh, my sister is entirely Wiggin," Ender said, "In the most delightful and terrifying way."

Cade smiled. "You love her best, huh?"

Ender smiled a little, too. "Yes."

"Why?" Cade asked, honestly curious.

"Because I do," Ender said honestly. "I had Val before I had anyone else."

Cade bit his lip. "Sounds kind of nice."

"It's more complicated than 'nice'," Ender said. "But I'm thankful that I have her."

"Makes me kinda regret being an only child," Cade said after a pause.

Ender offered him another small smile. "I think that's why Ben and I wind up having three," he said. "He's an only child, too."

Cade nodded. "Makes some sense. Not that I'm planning on having any. At all. Ever."

"You never know," Ender said lightly. "These things have a tendency to change when life settles down."

Cade snorted. "You've been to my galaxy. It doesn't settle down."

"It settles down," Ender said. "You just don't tend to go - or stay - in the places where life goes on and wars are background noise."

"Telling me to move to the Outer Rim, huh?" Cade said.

Ender didn't smile this time. "Your uncle understands this," he said.

"Yeah," Cade said softly.

Re: Talk to the Teacher

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