Question

Plato's Allegory of the Cave in relation to the concept of Critical Thinking: Plato (Greek Philosopher) came up with an image of a cave in which prisoners were chained to a wall and behind the wall was a fire and a pathway by which people could hold up objects and they would be displayed on the cave wall facing the prisoners. The prisoners see the shadows on the wall and they assume that what they look at is reality. In this post we'll look at how Plato's cave relates to critical thinking and why critical thinking paired with education is of the utmost importance to being a productive member of society.

Answer 1

First of all let's begin with what is Critical Thinking? Critical Thinking as defined by google is "the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement."

To break this down further it means looking at an issue from all sides and researching it from all sides before you form an opinion about it.

One example might be I receive a brochure in the mail for an island time share. The brochure itself is beautiful and the opportunity seems too good to pass up. However, because I think critically my immediate reaction is to think about what the company is gaining from pitching this idea to me.
Surely they want me to believe that this is too good an opportunity to pass up, so rather than immediately accept their "generous" offer I'll do some research on the company as to have an informed perspective and come to my own well informed conclusion.

This is just a trivial example of this, an example with a more lasting impact might be how you view politics, how you view religion, and how you view people in general. Any idea worth holding onto will stand up to scrutiny. Don't be afraid to challenge ideas you've heard all your life. If they're really worth believing in then they will be able to stand up to any challenge thrown at them.

Answer 2

Is this a lesson or question?

Answer 3

I was very entertained while reading this, now I believe I've entered a whole new level of understanding. Thank you Isry!!

Answer 4

Secondly let's go back to Plato's Cave. The prisoners were chained up and the only interaction with the outside world they had was what was shown to them by the shadows on the walls. They'd become so accustomed to only seeing the shadows that they no longer could grasp true reality.

If they just were able to turn their heads and see the fire behind them then they would know that it was all just shadows and not the truth. The shadow is the illusion of truth and reality, it's something to trick our minds into thinking its truth.

Think about things in your own life that you've only seen shadows of that you believe are totally true. What are the ways that you can see the true object you're seeing a shadow of or at the very least understand why you can only see a shadow of them.

Answer 5

Critical Thinking is absolutely crucial to being a productive member of society. We make decisions every day and some require little effort to make some require extensive effort to make. Without critical thinking we're doomed to be rats in a laboratory.

B.F. Skinner was a famous behaviorist Psychologist. He treated humans as if they were rats in a lab. He would use conditioning (like when you hear a sound and it reminds you of when you were a child eating ice cream so every time you hear the sound you expect to be eating ice cream) to shape the behavior that he wanted to see.

Critical thinking isn't as prevalent as it should be. This is why another behaviorist psychologist in John Watson made millions upon millions of dollars in advertising. It is important for us as members of the human race to be well informed in all our decision making. If we have an idea that doesn't stand up to scrutiny it's vital for us to examine whether or not that idea is worth holding onto. Not only does it help us in our own life making informed decisions, but it also allows us to possibly bring others along with us with solid, well thought out arguments. Plato's Cave is a fascinating look at perception vs reality. How what we perceive to be true or accurate may not be that when we think critically about it.

If there is interest in looking at some of the concepts of philosophy and applying them to modern life I would be happy to continue making posts in a similar vein. I'd prefer not to spam people's notifications so if you are interested in seeing more of these kinds of posts feel free to message me privately and tell me that you're interested in them.

Answer 6

just waiting for this, now imma send this to 100K people LOL isry u gonna be famous. Write a book xD

But well said and nice opinions on this. Having your own informed perspective and coming to your own conclusions is vital.

Really liked this part,
"This is just a trivial example of this, an example with a more lasting impact might be how you view politics, how you view religion, and how you view people in general. Any idea worth holding onto will stand up to scrutiny. Don't be afraid to challenge ideas you've heard all your life. If they're really worth believing in then they will be able to stand up to any challenge thrown at them.

"

Consise and to the point, everyone should get this message

Answer 7

Thanks for that @isry!

Answer 8

Thank you Isry. ;3 keep up the AMAZING work!

Answer 9

Thanks, Isry, this is very interesting.

Answer 10

thanks isry

Answer 11

Thanks isry.

Answer 12

here n late