I find your understanding of Plato's cave analogy curious. If the shadows on the wall represent our perceptions then what do the objects in the cave, the fire, the objects outside the cave, and the sun represent?
Very good question. This is what my next post will focus on. The traditional answer is that the world outside the Cave is made of the Forms and the Sun is the Form of the Good. However, these Forms are often understood as abstract, immaterial objects that we cannot see but exist in some Platonic Heaven. I will attempt to give a more down-to-earth reading of the Forms in the next post.
How do we look behind us and not at the shadows—is it by, though this seems very simple, to stop having the expectation that things should be explained in the logical positivist?
Thank you for your question! It is a good one. I would say there are two possibilities. The first would be what the Western existentialist and phenomenological tradition do (which I would suggest starts with Kant and one could even argue has some of its roots in Plato). Instead of simply assuming that the objects we see are pre-existing, thinkers in these schools of philosophy look for the cultural categories we subconsciously apply when cognizing these objects. This would be an intellectual approach that would increase our self awareness of the cultural concepts and categories we commit ourselves to in our everyday perceptions; hopefully giving us some more freedom in what categories and values we decide to commit to.
The second approach would be a more spiritual or religious approach. Although I would suggest a version of this can be found in all mystical and contemplative traditions, for the sake of simplicity I will use the example of an Indian school of thought in which this "backward turn" is very explicit: Advaita Vedanta. Advaita Vedenta asks us to turn our attention away from the objects of our experience (and this includes both our thoughts and our bodily sensations), and instead ask the question "Who am I?" "Who thinks these thoughts" or "Who experiences these sensations?" Unlike the Western philosophy approach, the aim here is not to answer this question intellectually but instead use this method of inquiry as a meditative practice to engender a direct experience of what we are before our attention rushes forward and identifies any kind of object. So, when taking this approach, one would ask the question with curiosity and simply see what happens, letting any conceptual answers the mind tries to generate simply arise and pass. If you are interested in this approach I would suggest looking at the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. Hope this helps clarify things.
I find your understanding of Plato's cave analogy curious. If the shadows on the wall represent our perceptions then what do the objects in the cave, the fire, the objects outside the cave, and the sun represent?
Very good question. This is what my next post will focus on. The traditional answer is that the world outside the Cave is made of the Forms and the Sun is the Form of the Good. However, these Forms are often understood as abstract, immaterial objects that we cannot see but exist in some Platonic Heaven. I will attempt to give a more down-to-earth reading of the Forms in the next post.
How serendipitous. Chomping at the bit for the next installment.
How do we look behind us and not at the shadows—is it by, though this seems very simple, to stop having the expectation that things should be explained in the logical positivist?
Thank you for your question! It is a good one. I would say there are two possibilities. The first would be what the Western existentialist and phenomenological tradition do (which I would suggest starts with Kant and one could even argue has some of its roots in Plato). Instead of simply assuming that the objects we see are pre-existing, thinkers in these schools of philosophy look for the cultural categories we subconsciously apply when cognizing these objects. This would be an intellectual approach that would increase our self awareness of the cultural concepts and categories we commit ourselves to in our everyday perceptions; hopefully giving us some more freedom in what categories and values we decide to commit to.
The second approach would be a more spiritual or religious approach. Although I would suggest a version of this can be found in all mystical and contemplative traditions, for the sake of simplicity I will use the example of an Indian school of thought in which this "backward turn" is very explicit: Advaita Vedanta. Advaita Vedenta asks us to turn our attention away from the objects of our experience (and this includes both our thoughts and our bodily sensations), and instead ask the question "Who am I?" "Who thinks these thoughts" or "Who experiences these sensations?" Unlike the Western philosophy approach, the aim here is not to answer this question intellectually but instead use this method of inquiry as a meditative practice to engender a direct experience of what we are before our attention rushes forward and identifies any kind of object. So, when taking this approach, one would ask the question with curiosity and simply see what happens, letting any conceptual answers the mind tries to generate simply arise and pass. If you are interested in this approach I would suggest looking at the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. Hope this helps clarify things.