Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

Program Type:

Other

Age Group:

Adult
Please note you are looking at an event that has already happened.
This event is part of a combined series. If you register for this event, you will be automatically registered for all of the following events in the series.
Registration for this event is no longer open.

Event Details

The Allegory of the Cave, from Plato's Republic, is the first systematic discussion in Western thought of a fundamental distinction in philosophy, that between appearance and reality.  This three-session course will present a basic overview of the Republic, a reading of the Allegory, questions about and extrapolations from the Allegory, and an overview of how the Allegory has resonated down through history, from the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus to contemporary films such as "The Matrix" and "The Truman Show."

We will read the "Allegory" in class, and no other reading or preparation will be required; You will learn a good deal about philosophy in a short period of time!The instructor, Bill Martin, taught philosophy at DePaul University in Chicago for twenty-eight years, and is now professor emeritus; his Ph.D. is from the University of Kansas (1990).