Plato

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Platos RepublicThe Divided Line and the
Allegory of the Cave
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Lets get clear on the terminology

• Allegory
• A story, poem, or picture thats used to
  symbolically represent a message.
• Metaphysics
• The study of being, existence, reality, etc.
• Epistemology
• The study of the nature, origin, limits, etc. of
  human knowledge

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Divided Line - Prologue
OBJECTS
Forms (Good, General, Math)
Particular/Physical Objects
Images/Representations of Physical Objects
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Divided Line The Nature of the World and the
Structure of Human Knowledge
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The Allegory of the Cave
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(No Transcript)
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Representation of an Image of a Dog
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Image/Statue of a Dog
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Dog
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The Form of Dogness
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(No Transcript)
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Symbolism of the Cave
Sun Form of the Good Knowledge
Objects in the Outside World The
Forms Understand. Shadows, Reflections in the
Outside World Mathematical Forms
Belief Statues that Cast Shadows in the Cave
Particular Objects Sensing/ Shadows on
the Wall in the Cave Images Imagining