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The Analogy Episode
Poem: “Shine” by Robinson Jeffers
Statement of the Whole: Out of the darkness and shadows of the past, a clear voice can still be heard speaking about education. That voice is Socrates, through the dialogues of Plato. In this three part series, Steve and Jason play with shadow puppets, stare into the Sun, and generally mess around in the beautiful analogies Plato has given us concerning Truth in his Republic. This first part simply introduces the fun.
Quote: “In every man there is an eye of the soul, which…is more precious far than ten thousand bodily eyes, for by it alone is truth seen.” The Republic, Book VII
- What is the Republic?
- A dialogue on Justice and how one might found a Just City.
- In the middle, it presents the reader with three analogies concerning how truth is discovered.
- What does it say about education?
- At the heart of good government, ie. a just society, is an education in virtue and wisdom
- Education is about a search for truth, and that the student might love the truth, not use it for power
- By teaching us through analogies, Plato demonstrates the analogous nature of good teaching
- What are the three analogies?
- The Sun
- The Divided Line
- The Cave