endsthegame (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomhigh2021-08-13 04:27 pm
endsthegame) wrote in fandomhigh2021-08-13 04:27 pm
Entry tags:
Practical Philosophy, Friday
"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 this 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 truth that could not be seen in any other light."
His mouth curved. "Nothing like Wednesday," he said dryly. "Because even when we speak the truth, we still speak our reflection of the truth, not the reality of it.
"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 necessarily 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."
He sat back.
"Plato believed strongly in this 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 truth that could not be seen in any other light."
His mouth curved. "Nothing like Wednesday," he said dryly. "Because even when we speak the truth, we still speak our reflection of the truth, not the reality of it.
"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 necessarily 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."
Sign In!
Have A Sandwich
Talk.
Talk to Ender
OOC
Re: Sign In!
Re: Talk.
because Fridays usually suuuucked, as she was quiet for a lot of things, nibbled on her sandwich a little thoughtfully, her cheeks going a bit red as she considered the questions and various answers to them until she came up with something that she'd never really questioned before.It was sort of hard, really, because she'd never really questioned it before.
"I...I guess," she ventured timidly, when it was her turn to go, "I've never questioned that animals all animals are good," which was particularly interesting, considering her experiences with cats, "and that I'd like to one day care for them."
Even the not-as-cute ones.
Re: Talk.
Re: Talk.
How much time did they have?
"I don't get along very well with cats," Sakaki finally said. And thus became eligible for Biggest Understatement of the Century award.
Re: Talk.
No judgment at all.
Re: Talk.
She nodded, with a soft, affirming hum.
"At least," she amended, "I don't think they can help it."
It was all too consistent. The issue was clearly with herself and not the cats, and how could she hold that against them?
Re: Talk.
He was curious. If she liked animals that much, and yet some had a problem with her, there had to be a story.
Re: Talk.
She blinked at it for a moment, and then looked up at him.
"But how will I find out if I just give up?"