1. Intro to Plato’s “Allegory of the cave”
Mountain Pointe High School

2. Plato 428-348 BC Socrates student
Wealthy Family
Started out with a career in politics, but left when he realized politicians weren’t truthful (even then!)
Started his own university
Was all about “ideas” as truth
Believed that the physical world was misleading
Constant struggle for humans is discovering the reality of the world while balancing what you know to be true, and what the physical world shows you to be true (faith, ethics, morals, philosophy)

3. What is Philosophy? The word means “love of wisdom”
Live your life according to ideas and assumptions about what the world is like—that is your philosophy
“The unexamined life is not worth living” –Socrates 400 BC
“Know Yourself” Plato 387 BC

4. What is the difference between Knowledge and wisdom?
Where do we obtain both?

5. Plato’s Tripartite Soul

6. Allegory
An allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself.
The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings: literal and symbolic.
Wizard of Oz, Chronicles of Narinia, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies

7. Read “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato
Be sure to highlight any words you don’t understand; star/underline parts you think are important.

8. Sketch the cave as you imagine it

9. Plato’s Cave

10. What do you see here?

11. …and here?

12. And here?

14. What about this one?

15. And this one…

16. Last one…

17. Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner!
Enlightenment is when the light bulb finally goes off!
It feels like finally “seeing” the optical illusions
The veil of confusion/darkness has been lifted

18. Modern References Cave Video Cypher Matrix The Truman Show
Plato/Matrix
The Shadows of Life Comic

19. “Cave” Moments Symbolic cave/shackles? Road to enlightenment?
First exposure to “light”?
Consequences-For better or worse?
The Count of Monte Cristo…
Genesis…
Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth…
To Kill a Mockingbird…
Toy Story:
Personal Cave moments: “get” a math problem, parents divorce, friend betrays/boyfriend cheats, learn a concept, find love, religious enlightenment, realize the importance of budgeting/planning/educations, etc.

20. BUZZ: "Woody you're not a collector's item; you're a child's plaything
BUZZ: "Woody you're not a collector's item; you're a child's plaything. You are A TOY!”
WOODY: "For how much longer? One more rip, and Andy's done with me. And what do I do then, Buzz? Huh? You tell me.”
BUZZ: "Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a toy who taught me that life's only worth living if you're being loved by a kid. And I traveled all this way to rescue that toy because I believed him.”
Buzz Lightyear, as he reminds Woody who he truly is

21. Fun with Claymation!