Teaching Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"

[estelwen]

Visual representation of the allegory as well as student discussion was quite helpful in my intro to philosophy class. Good luck!

[shawyer]

I have always used Don Juan de Marco when teaching Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
Don Juan/Johnny actually says "I am not limited by my eyesight" -- the cave becomes the mental hospital. One psychiatrist is a fearful cave dweller (medicate him!).
Leads to discussions of whether we dismiss those who "see" further than the rest of us because we are in the cave. We tell them to "get real" or "live in the real world" ....

[myrna22]

In Brazil there is a comic magazine produced by Mauricio de Sousa. It is for kids, but the stories are very interesting.

Once, that magazine published a short storie based uppon the Plato's Allegory of the Cave. It is really amazing!

I found a english version, available on line, see it here:
http://www.monica.com.br/ingles/comi...co/welcome.htm


It is so short and so easy that every kid can understand the Plato's Allegory.

Thanks for the link. There is also this, which I've been using.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2afuTvUzBQ

[dyoungblood]

I've had some luck with using the Truman Show rather than the Matrix. The ending lends itself to a discussion of what happens next for the individual ready to take the risk and exit the comfortableness of a manipulated reality.

[ssbrat]

I had a prof in college who introduced Plato's allegory by drawing representations of the old Saturday Night Live claymation character Mr. Bill on the board -- it was very amusing and the "Oh No"s had us rolling in the aisle.

[Jack of Hearts]

It would be better to just have them study the script for The Matrix, because they're going to be referenced to that movie in every frickin' philosophy class they ever take.






J

[cafolini]

I wanted to begin my Introduction to Philosophy courses in the Fall with a discussion of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave". I've taught it before by incorporating scenes from the first "Matrix" movie into the class. Do you think this is still a good approach? I feel like this might be a little cliché now, considering how overused references to "The Matrix" have become. I don't want to be seen as the professor that thinks he is "cutting edge" but is really still stuck in the 90s!

I think Plato is too simplistic for today's world and must be related to something else, whether it be Matrix or not. I would teach philosophy only as a historical subject, but probably, if I were to relate Plato to the postmodern world with some form of bridge, I'd use scientific design in the idealization and aproximation area, i.e., how we design things by aproximation, revalue the product and reidealize with a better approximation. And so on...
Plato is static and there are a lot of things I don't like about his way of thinking, beginning with the worst, where he sees art as twice divorced from nature, which in turn and throughout history led to the idea of degenerate art.
Have fun.