- Brainstorming: In a MSWord document, type the answers to the two questions below.
- The piece we are about to read and discuss, “The Allegory of the Cave,” is an important example of Ancient Greek philosophy. In Greek, “philosophy” literally means “love of wisdom.” But what is wisdom? What do you think? Why do you think people study philosophy?
2. Paste your answers HERE.
- An allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning, where the symbolic meaning serves as a mirror of the real problem or question. This allegory is about a cave. What do you know about caves? What could a cave represent? What could the phrase “to be in a cave” mean? What could the phrase “come out of the cave” mean?
3. Reading out loud: "The Allegory of the Cave" 26-28 of the class packet. We will stop to make clarifications, answer questions, and stress important ideas. Then you will read the piece again and annotate the reading to your satisfaction. Please consult your dictionaries for any words you do not understand.
4. Click on the scrambled summary of "The Allegory of the Cave" HERE. Answers to the summary HERE.
5. Working in groups of three, match each symbolic element of the story with its philosophic meaning HERE.
HOMEWORK
- Review the symbolic meanings of the story above in #5 and HERE.
- Blog 2: Using these symbolic meanings, write 2-3 paragraphs that summarize the philosophic meaning of Socrates’ story—what is he trying to explain to Glaucon about the meaning of life? Follow this introduction: In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates tells a story to his student Glaucon to explain ...
