“Philosophy involves seeing the absolute oddity of what is familiar and trying to formulate really probing questions about it.”

- Iris Murdoch

“They say about me that I am the strangest person, always making people confused.”

- Socrates

“All men desire to know.”- Aristotle

Socrates “Know thyself” Intellectual search for truth—used the

Socratic method to question the beliefs of people and understand how people thought.

Executed by the Athenians in 399 BCE

Why must Socrates die following the Peloponnesian War?

Imagine Socrates would have lived earlier in history. How would his crimes have been viewed following the Persian War?

Socrates: Does falsehood exist in mankind?Euthydemus: It does assuredly.Socrates: Under which head {justice or injustice}

shall we place it?Euthydemus: Under injustice, certainly.Socrates: Well then…if a father, when his son

requires medicine, and refuses to take it, should deceive him and give him the medicine as ordinary food, and, by adopting such deception, should restore him to health, under which head must we place such an act of deceit?

Euthydemus: It appears to me that we mush place it under {justice}. I retract what I said before.

Plato Pupil of Socrates Famous works: “The Allegory of the Cave” & The

Republic (the ideal gov’t) Too much freedom resulted in social disorder (liked

the gov’t of Sparta—states is above the individual ) Excluded the senses as a source of truth

What the senses can perceive was only “appearance”

“Reality” was constructed from ideas or ideal “forms” which could be understood through logic and reason.

Continuing discussion: perception vs. reality

Aristotle Logic Knowledge is gained through the senses Politics—ideal government, based on observations,

more concrete than Plato. A hybrid of monarchy, democracy, and aristocracy seemed best.

Based on your viewing of the video and Based on your viewing of the video and it’s description of the cave, draw what it’s description of the cave, draw what you think the cave looks like.you think the cave looks like.

Plot:Plot: Prisoners chained since childhood in the cave.Prisoners chained since childhood in the cave. Can’t move head or feet.Can’t move head or feet. Heads fixed on the cave wall.Heads fixed on the cave wall. Five casting shadows from puppeteers.Five casting shadows from puppeteers. Escapes into the light, changes perspective.Escapes into the light, changes perspective. Waking up to the truth.Waking up to the truth. Questioning the reality in which we live.Questioning the reality in which we live. Prisoner would be persecuted by othersPrisoner would be persecuted by others

Matrix- Living Room

Matrix- White Room