Platos Allegory Of The Cave: Importance Today

Platos Allegory Of The Cave: Importance Today Our society so values education that sociologists have recognized the problem of over-education (Hadjicostandi). Many people are spending years pursuing degrees which they simply do not need for the jobs they perform. It is therefore prudent for students to question whether pursuing a liberal education is really as important as our society believes. What is the point of a college education? Does it have any purpose beyond its material benefits. Are these benefits worth their cost? These are important questions that need answering. In the end, we may see that there is far more to this debate than simple accounting. Perhaps what makes education worth pursuing is that it gives us the freedom to makes these kinds of decisions about what is best for us. In many ways, this debate over education has its roots in the writings of Plato (Jowett). In Book VII of The Republic, Plato discusses such topics as enlightenment, epistemology, forms, and the duties of philosophers Allegory of the Cave vs The Matrix: Imagine living through life completely bound and facing a reality that doesnt even exist. The prisoners in Platos Allegory of the Cave are blind from true reality as well as the people in the movie The Matrix written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. They are given false images and they accept what their senses are telling them, and they believe what they are experiencing is all that really exists. Plato the ancient Greek philosopher wrote The Allegory of the Cave, to explain the process of enlightenment and what true reality may be. In the movie The Matrix, Neo (the main character) was born into a world of illusions called the matrix. His true reality is being controlled by the puppet- handlers called the machines who use the human body as a source of energy. In the movie, Neo, finds and alternate reality and he has to go on a journey to discover himself and what is around him. Much like The Allegory of the Cave the prisoners in a dark underground cave, who are chained to the wall, have a view of reality solely based upon this limited view of the cave which is but a poor copy of the real world. Both the prisoners of the cave, and Neo from the Matrix, have to transcend on the path of enlightenment to know the truth of their own worlds. The Allegory of the Cave in Different Perspectives The Allegory of the Cave, written by Plato, is an interpretation of a conversation between Socrates, Platos mentor, and Glaucon, one of Socrates students.  ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ §The Allegory of the Cave ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¨ can be interpreted several different ways. Imagine men in a cave chained up by their necks and legs, forcing them to only look forward at a wall. An opening behind them lets the light in. Above the burning fire and chains, there is a road. Have these chained men ever seen anything else of themselves or others beyond the cave ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦s shadows made by the fire? Some people would say the truth is only perceived by the shadows seen on the walls of the cave. What if one of these men ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦s chains were taken off and he was free to leave? Would the man feel pain when seeing the real world? Would he be confused on believing what is real? Would it make a difference if the chained man was briefly educated about what he was going to see first? Perhaps he would understand and not be confused about what is real. Will the man think what he saw before was much more real than what he sees now? Questions like these will bring different opinions and meaning to The Allegory of the Cave. ¨ Whose interpretation, if any, is correct when explaining the meaning of The Allegory of the Cave? Does it have mathematical meaning, explain a vision of the whole world, or is it just a comparison to the field of social work? Similarities between Platos and Descartes Epistemologies Summary Philosophy is a subject that can take many twists and turns before it finds an answer to a general question. Sometimes, an answer is still left unfound. Philosophy, in its broadest terms, can be described as the systematic pursuit of knowledge and human excellence. What we are concerned with is knowledge. Many people have theories of knowledge. Amongst them, there are two we will be looking at, Descartes and Plato. We will examine Descartes epistemology in Meditations on First Philosophy and Platos in The Republic. Descartes epistemology is known as foundationalism. In the Meditations, Descartes doubts everything he was taught to believe because it is human tendency to believe what is false. In the first, he claims that most of what he believes is from his senses and that those senses are sometimes deceived. His solution to doubting everything is compared to a basket of apples. You fear that some apples have gone bad and you dont want the others to rot, so you throw all the apples out of the basket. Once this is done, you examine each one and return the good apples to the basket. This is what he does with his beliefs. He keeps only those he is certain of. We must discard our beliefs as a whole and then examine each one individually. We must build on the good beliefs. Descartes, however, does realize we cant throw every belief out because they are a part of us, unlike the apples. We would have no basis for recovering any of our beliefs. We would be unable to justify anything. No belief based on sense-perception is free from doubt. He said it is possible that his life is all a dream and he is being deceived into thinking it is reality. He also holds false anything that is physical exists, including his own body. The only things we should trust are those beliefs that are subject to rational scrutiny. We must also declare our mathematical judgments to be false also because an evil demon might be deceiving us. Now, Descartes has cast doubt on all his beliefs about everything but himself. He cannot be deceived about himself. It is on himself that he will be able to rebuild his knowledge of other things. If he had no knowledge of himself, then nothing can be certain. If he doubts, he must be an existing self which is engaged in doubting. If he doubts, he must also be thinking and Descartes said I think, therefore I am. He must also exist so that he can be deceived. If he is dreaming, then he is also thinking, thus he still exists. This is the first step to acquiring knowledge, to Descartes. You must build on what you know is certain, starting with yourself as the foundation. In the second meditation, Descartes tries to show we know bodies through reason and not through senses. He uses a piece of wax to demonstrate. Over a period of time, a freshly produced piece of wax placed by the fire loses or changes all its specific properties, yet it is known to be the same object. Its taste and odor disappear. Its color, size, and shape are completely transformed. It loses its hardness and coldness to liquidity and warmth. To know the wax, you must be able to anticipate its changes. Descartes argues, though, that the imagination could not possibly figure out all conditions, for they are infinite. One can only know an object through understanding, rather than through images, sensation or imagination. He now has knowledge about himself and any object that he has thought about through reason. We are now moving along nicely in rebuilding our house of knowledge. In the third meditation, we move into another building block of knowledge, God. We look at the example of two plus three equaling five. We see this to be clear and distinct, but it is possible that we are being deceived. He tries to dispel the doubt about propositions of mathematics by claiming that God exists and would not allow such a deception. He makes an argument for Gods existence. Premise one states that we have an idea of God. Premise two states that the only way to have an idea of God is if God exists. Therefore, the conclusion is that God exists. Us having an idea of God means us having an understanding of the infinite. We cant understand the infinite through the finite, but only through the infinite, thus God must also be the cause of the idea of God. We as finite substances cannot cause the existence of an infinite substance. The idea is also an objective reality, thus it can be held as true. God is not deceiving us and now we have added the final building block to our ho use of knowledge. In The Republic, Plato has his own epistemology. His is more along the lines of idealism. The ascent to knowledge is not based upon understanding an object, but understanding the idea of that object. The highest idea or form is the idea of the Good itself. Socrates is the main character of this section of The Republic. He engages in a conversation with Glaucon about knowledge. Socrates gives two images of the ascent from chaotic opinion to orderly knowledge, the image of the divided line and of the Cave. Knowledge is what is certain and true and opinion is what is fallible. This is where we may see a connection between Plato and Descartes. They both agree that knowledge must be certain and all other things false. Plato held that all knowledge can be derived from a single set of principles. Knowledge rests on the Good as its foundation, unlike Descartes, where ones self is the foundation. Plato compares the power of the Good to the power of the sun. The sun illuminates things and makes them visible to the eye. The absolute good illuminates things of the mind and makes them intelligible. According to Plato, the idea of the Good is too much for humans to understand, but can be thought of as the idea of absolute order. The sun is the cause of generation, nourishment, growth, and visibility. The Good is the cause of essences, structures, forms, and knowledge. This is somewhat similar to Descartes because God is the cause of the idea of Himself, thus the cause of everything else also. There are four levels of knowledge. First, there are two ruling powers though. The good is set over the intellectual world and the sun over the visible world. We start with two lines, one for knowledge and one for opinion. Now we cut them once more and now there are four sections, two belonging to the intelligible world and two belonging to the visible world, two belonging to knowledge and two belonging to opinion. The first section is that of images such as shadows and reflections. The second deals with us seeing actual things, sense-perception. Unlike Descartes, we will not discard this, but use it to build on our knowledge. Descartes believes sense-perception to be false, but Plato uses it as a stepping stone towards knowledge. Now we have the two subdivisions of the intellectual. The third section is where the soul has understanding through its assumptions based on images. The fourth section is where the soul moves past the use of any images and strictly reasons things out. One d oes not use objects, but ideas to reason. Next is the Allegory of the Cave. Platos allegory is a copy of the reality of the divided line. Plato realizes people can think and speak without being aware of the Forms. Plato treats these people as prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they are able to see is the wall of the cave and a fire burns behind them. There is a place to walk between the prisoners and the fire. There are others in that place that hold up objects to cast shadows on the wall of the cave. The prisoners are unable to see these objects behind them. They see and hear only the shadows and echoes cast by these objects. Prisoners like these would mistake appearance for reality. They would think the shadows are real, but would be unaware of the causes. Plato points out that they would refer to the shadow rather than the real object. The only way for the prisoner to see what he is talking about is to turn his head around. We actually name things we can not see, but things that we can only grasp in the mind. When the prisoners are released, they can see the real objects and realize their error. The way we can see the causes of our shadows is by grasping the Forms with our minds. The prisoners now ascend upwards out of the cave( into the intellectual world). When they first leave the cave, their eyes feel pain the same way the jury that convicted Socrates felt pain. They were not used to the light just like the jury was not used to Socrates manner of speaking. The prisoners would, at first, react violently as the jury did and try to descend back into the cave. This is similar to when the jury sentenced Socrates to death. But the prisoners must go on. Once they adjust, they are able to see the objects and what they must possess in itself. This takes us back to Descartes again. Descartes also believed we must look for an objects uniqueness without relying on sense-perception. The light shows them what the external conditions must be and then they finally see the sun, the sour ce of the external condition. Plato and Descartes have their own epistemologies. Platos is that of Idealism and Descartes is Foundationalism. They differ somewhat while they also share similarities. Plato says what we see are shadows, not the real objects. A philosopher is one who strives to see the object and what makes the object unique. Finally, the philosopher will be able to see the idea of the object. Descartes also aims to find the uniqueness of an object and the idea of it through reason, but his approach differs. He casts doubt on what he feels isnt certain and starts to rebuild his house of knowledge on what is, himself being the foundation. Plato is not necessarily looking to cast doubts on ones beliefs, but is trying to expand ones knowledge of it. Their ends are the same, try to reach the Good or God, but their means are different.

Quantitative Determination of Sulfate by Gravimetric Analysis Essay

1. Synopsis: This report is written about determining the quantitative amount of sulphate inside barium sulphate, BaSOâ‚„, using the method of gravimetric analysis. This quantitative determination is done by the addition of a dilute solution of barium chloride slowly to a hot unknown sulfate solution slightly acidified by concentrated hydrochloric acid, HCl. The white precipitate of barium sulphate is filtered off, washed with water, oven-dried, and weighed as barium sulphate. The quantitative amount of sulphate is deduced from mathematical calculations. The results of the experiment, however, did not yield positively, probably due to inadvertent human error over the course of the experiment. The percentage yield of sulphate inside barium sulphate attained from our results was not up to expectations. The percentage yield of sulphate was expected to be at least 90% and above, with >90% as a good percentage yield. Instead, we attained 54% percentage yield of sulphate. 2. Objective: The purpose of the experiment is to determine the quantitative amount of sulphate inside barium sulphate using the method of gravimetric analysis. 3. Theory: 3.1 Summary: Throughout the duration of the experiment, there are many procedures, techniques, chemicals, and instruments used to produce the results of the experiment. There are a total of three simple sets of procedures required, in the gravimetric analysis method, in order to create the results of the experiment. The first procedure is the precipitation of BaSOâ‚„, barium sulphate, followed by the second procedure, the washing and filtration of BaSOâ‚„ precipitate. The third and final procedure is the drying and weighing of the dry sample of BaSOâ‚„ precipitate. From there, the results are gathered by methodical mathematical calculations. 3.2 Technique: Gravimetric Analysis: Gravimetric analysis is a series of methods in analytical chemistry for finding the quantitative amount of a certain analyte based on a sample of solid. To perform gravimetric analysis, one of the most common methods is to convert the analyte into a solid via the use of precipitation with the appropriate reagent chemicals. After that, the precipitate is collected via filtration, washed, dried, off all moisture content, and weighed. Then, the quantitative amount of analyte in the sample is calculated from the mass of the precipitate and its chemical composition. There are many advantages using gravimetric analysis. It allows for extremely precise analysis, such as the determination of many elements’ atomic masses up to six decimal places. It also does not require expensive scientific equipment to perform such analysis and, furthermore, it can even be used to calibrate scientific instruments in lieu of international reference standards. 3.3 Chemicals: During the experiment, some chemicals were used to obtain the barium sulphate, BaSO4, from which the quantitative amount of sulphate can be found from within. The chemicals used were dilute 10% barium chloride solution, BaCl2, dilute 0.5% sodium sulphate solution, (Na)2SO4, and concentrated hydrochloric acid solution, HCl. In order to obtain barium sulphate, a chemical process, known as the displacement reaction, was utilised. In the displacement reaction, the cations and anions switch places from their original compounds to form entirely different compounds. In this experiment, 10% barium chloride solution is added to 0.5% sodium sulphate solution (which is slightly acidified by adding concentrated hydrochloric acid), resulting in the formation of soluble barium sulphate. 3.4 Instruments: In the experiment, various scientific instruments were used in the determination of the quantitative amount of sulphate. The following instruments were used, were the 250ml beaker, the bulb filler and vacuum-assisted pipette, the measuring cylinder, the watch glass, the laboratory crucible, the vacuum pump, the hot air oven, the desiccator, and the digital analytical weighing balance. The 250ml beaker is a cylindrical container with a flat bottom, which is used as a simple container to stir, heat, or mix various liquids. The vacuum-assisted pipette is a hollow narrow cylinder that has a large bulge with a single graduation mark as it is calibrated for its specific volume, generally between 10ml, 25ml, and 50ml. The bulb filler is the simplest form of the pipette dispenser, using pinch valves to draw air within to create a vacuum within the vacuum-assisted pipette. The two pieces of laboratory equipment are generally used in conjunction with one another. The bulb filler is carefully inserted on top on the vacuum-assisted pipette. The pinch valves can be manipulated to draw the liquid inside the pipette. The measuring cylinder is a narrow cylinder with a flat base that is used to measure amounts of liquid with the corresponding markings along the cylinder. The watch glass is a circular, slightly convex-concave piece of glass that is generally used to evaporate a liquid, hold solids being weighed, or as a cover for the beaker. The laboratory crucible is a cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment made to contain chemical compounds as they are heated to extremely-high temperatures. The hot air oven is an electrical oven used to dry chemical compounds or sterilise articles. The desiccator is a sealable enclosure that is used to preserve items sensitive to moisture in the open air, such as cobalt chloride paper. The digital analytical weighing balance is type of electronic balance made to measure small amounts of mass up till several decim al figures. 4. Procedures: In order to determine the quantitative amount of sulphate, the procedure that is split up into three smaller sections. The first section is the precipitation of barium sulphate. The second section is the washing and filtration of the barium sulphate precipitate. And, the third section is the drying and weighing of the barium sulphate precipitate. 4.1 Precipitation of BaSO2: 1. Use the bulb filler and vacuum-assisted pipette to pipette 25ml of the 0.5% sodium sulphate solution into a 250ml beaker. 2. Add 50ml of water and 5 drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid into the beaker. Note: Concentrated hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive. Add the concentrated hydrochloric acid into the beaker while handling it in the fume hood with protective gloves and goggles. 3. Heat the beaker until it is boiling. Use a glass rod to stir the solution vigorously, while adding 10ml of 10% barium chloride solution from a measuring cylinder drop-by-drop. 4. Use a watch glass to cover the beaker and adjust the heat to just below temperatures. Leave it there to digest for 20 minutes. 5. To test for complete precipitation, add a few drops of barium chloride and observe to see if there is clear supernatant liquid. 4.2 Washing and Filtration of BaSO4 Precipitate: 1. Take two pieces of filter paper and place them at the base of the dry and weighed laboratory crucible. Ensure that the filter paper pieces cover the base of crucible completely. Then, use the vacuum pump to decant the clear supernatant liquid by filtration into the crucible. 2. Dislodge any particles in the beaker and rinse it with warm deionised water. Empty the contents into the crucible while the vacuum pump is at work. Make sure that all the solids in the beaker have been transferred to the crucible. 3. Wash the barium sulphate precipitate further with warm deionised water at the vacuum pump twice more. 4. Discard the filtrate. 4.3 Drying and Weighing of BaSO4 Precipitate: 1. Place the crucible, containing the BaSO4 precipitate, into the hot air oven. Set the temperature to 150 °C and leave it for half an hour. 2. Use the desiccator to cool the crucible and precipitate for 10 minutes. 3. Once the crucible has cooled down, weigh it using the digital analytical weighing balance. 4. The weight of the BaSO4 precipitate is calculated from the difference between this weight and the weight of the empty crucible including the filter papers. If there is still sufficient time, you may repeat the above Steps 1-4 until a constant weight of the precipitate is successfully obtained. 5. Results and Calculations: | 1st Drying:| 2nd Drying:| Mass of Crucible + Filter Paper + Sample:| 31.9078g| 32.0188g| Mass of Crucible + Filter Paper:| 31.7975g| 31.9071g| Mass of Sample (BaSO4):| 0.1103g| 0.1117g| The mathematical calculations to attain the results of this experiment are listed below: 0.5% of sodium sulphate (NaSO4) = 5100 Ãâ€"25g = 0.125g Composition by mass of SO42- = Molecular weight of sulphate ionMolecular weight of sodium sulphate Ãâ€" 0.125 = 0.0845g (4 significant figures) Composition by mass of SO42- prepared = Molecular weight of sulphate ionMolecular weight of barium sulphate Ãâ€"0.1103g = 0.04544g (4 significant figures) Percentage yield of sulphate = 0.045440.0845 Ãâ€"100% = 53. 775% ≈ 54% 6. Discussions: The objective of this experiment was to determine the quantitative amount of sulphate using the gravimetric analysis method. The quantitative amount of sulphate was measured in percentage yield, which we attained 54% instead of the expected percentage yield of 90% and above. It became obvious that somewhere along the way, in conducting the experiment, a significant error had been committed. After much analysis, it was found that there had been some sources of error that accounted for the less-than-satisfactory results. One major source of error could be the contamination of the intended precipitate through the use of laboratory instruments and vessels that were not cleaned properly. When the instruments and vessels are unclean, any left-over remains of chemicals and compounds could be unintentionally released to the intended precipitate and polluted it through a process known as co-precipitation. The foreign species could have reacted with the intended precipitate and resulted in the loss of much of the sulphate ions, leaving only 54% instead of the intended 90% and above. To avoid any possible error of contamination, one must keep in mind to properly clean the instruments and vessels to use in the experiment. One way to minimise the co-precipitation of substances would be leaving the solution, containing the soluble precipitate of barium sulphate, in the process of forming the precipitate, to digest longer than the standard 20 minutes. Another source of error could be the decomposition of the precipitate itself during the process of removing moisture content in the hot air oven. The ignition can result in the losses via decomposition of the potentially-volatile precipitate. 7. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results were not up to expectations due to a few sources of error that caused the less-than-satisfactory results. Gravimetric analysis is a proven set of methods to use in the field of analytical chemistry. It allows for extremely precise results, if the procedures were followed very carefully, and no errors were committed over the course of the experiment. However, we did not attain 90% and above for the percentage yield of sulphate as we committed some errors unknowingly. Contamination was a major issue in the experiment that would have been avoided if only we had properly cleaned the instruments before performing the experiment. In short, the objective of the experiment was fulfilled by attaining sulphate using the gravimetric analysis method, although not all of it was attained. 8. References: Online References: Theory: 1. Wikipedia: Gravimetric Analysis Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravimetric_analysis Accessed from: 20th June 2013 2. Wikipedia: Instruments Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaker_(glassware) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipette http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measuring_cylinder http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watch_glass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucible http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_air_oven http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_balance#Analytical_balance Accessed from: Accessed from: 20th June 2013 3. R.L. Watters, Jr, 1997, Gravimetry as a Primary Method of Measurement Available from: http://www.rminfo.nite.go.jp/common/pdfdata/4-002e.pdf Accessed from: 20th June 2013

Outline of a Research Paper Fundamentals Explained

Outline of a Research Paper Fundamentals Explained The Importance of Outline of a Research Paper When you have listed all of the probable angles and suggestions to develop, cluster them. An outline is going to be a reminder for you to include all the vital subtleties in it. Although you don't have to make your outline perfect, make certain it will get the points across. The more points you wish to include, the more elaborate outline you'll ever have. The Outline of a Research Paper Trap You could also see book outline. You might also see biography outline. You can also see presentation outline. Aside from a report outline and a presentation outline, a research paper outline is among the most typical types of outlines you're very likely to encounter in any particular field. You could also state what sort of approach it is you'll use in your paper for the whole discussion of your topic. As soon as you own a thesis, examine your topic or the issue at hand from many angles. 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Greed And Consumerism In Salingers See More Glass

the omnipotent harms of greed and consumerism; yet her mother slathering her with sun-tan oil corrupts her innocent nature. As Sybil stands with her mother she repeats, â€Å"See more glass† (12). Seymour’s name alludes to the notion of him seeing more than others and breaking through the vapidity that pervades society. shows that he is unique in realizing those around him are living in a meaningless nature. His last name, Glass, represents Seymour’s ability to clearly see the fakeness and pettiness exuding from society. Sybil reconciles with Seymour on the beach, and she asks him where the lady (Muriel) is, and he replies, â€Å"At the hairdresser’s. Having her hair dyed mink† (7). By dyeing her hair, Salinger shows the lack of satisfaction Muriel†¦show more content†¦Salinger’s unique diction makes the reader understand the severity of to the negativity disseminated by omnipresent materialism in society. Salinger’s use of th e Bananafish is symbolic of the greedy nature inevitably found in humans. The bananafish is Seymour’s invented sea creature that is the epitome of selfishness and gluttony; it eats an abundance of bananas and eventually dies of banana fever. The bananafish is significant in conveying how people are consumed with superficial and shallow desires and how their greed will lead to their demise. Seymour tells Sybil the story of the bananafish stating that once they get in the hole where there is many bananas, â€Å"they behave like pigs†¦ and eat as many as seventy-eight bananas† (14). The bananafish draws parallels to the gluttony of people like Muriel, whose life revolves around consumerism. By saying they behave like pigs, Salinger conveys how individuals lose rationality and are overcome with a desire for more and more objective things. Seymour tells Sybil that the bananafish, â€Å"eat so many bananas they can’t get out of the banana hole† (10). This shows that once individuals are introduced to the greed and pettiness prevalent in society, it’s impossible to avoid. Seymour characterizing the bananafish in such ways represents his struggle to deal with the society he was once assimilated in, after fighting in war. AsShow MoreRelatedComparison of Child Characters in Salingers Teddy and A Perfect Day for Bananafish2559 Words   |  11 PagesIn J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories there are many tales centered on children, who are often depicted as a symbol of hope and connected with the values that stand in contrast to the ones typical of the adults corrupted by materialism. In my essay, I would like to concentrate on the portrayal of children in â€Å"A Perfect Day for Bananafish† and â€Å"Teddy†. Even though the way these characters are depicted is similar, a child protagonist in each of the stories is representative of different things. While Sibyl