Unit 4 Responses: "Captive," Langer, Pinker, Roberts
Captive:
There are several conclusions that can be drawn from the allegory story. It could stand as a warning that we should avoid dark, moist caves and spend more time in a sunny environment with fresh air. This could also be just another artful story. It goes without saying that the story includes events that symbolize a deeper significance. Taking a look at the author’s history as a philosopher, I can see that there are many levels by which the story can be interpreted. In my opinion, Plato is pointing out the relationship between shadows, the sunlit world and the relationship between knowledge and reality. The shadows in the cave are the only things that the prisoners had ever experienced, …show more content…
Langer goes on to explain that there are signs of weather, signs of danger, signs of future good or evil, and signs of what the past has been. Symbols are a more detailed concept than signs. They make people think about things beyond the obvious and immediate meaning. At least that is the way that I see symbols. When it comes to the importance of symbolic understanding, it has not really been given the essential importance in education today. Research has found that symbolic understanding is crucial for an individual’s development. It goes without saying that symbolic understanding gives a sense of self, a sense of reality, and being able to consider things that might be missing. We cannot afford to neglect this area of development. The very language we use is symbolic and although we may believe that each word is clear, it may be cloudy to the majority of people. We are symbolic creatures. We have been trained to think in symbols. Every culture and era have introduced a different symbol system. These can include; sentence variety, slang, correct grammar, and technical language. There are probably hundreds if not thousands or millions of symbols that are in circulation. There are more symbols being created right now, even as I write this, that have spread throughout time. When thinking about symbols, mathematics comes to mind. Where would we be without math? Another important fact to consider is the symbols that are used in music. Life without music would be dreadful. According
Captive:
There are several conclusions that can be drawn from the allegory story. It could stand as a warning that we should avoid dark, moist caves and spend more time in a sunny environment with fresh air. This could also be just another artful story. It goes without saying that the story includes events that symbolize a deeper significance. Taking a look at the author’s history as a philosopher, I can see that there are many levels by which the story can be interpreted. In my opinion, Plato is pointing out the relationship between shadows, the sunlit world and the relationship between knowledge and reality. The shadows in the cave are the only things that the prisoners had ever experienced, …show more content…
Langer goes on to explain that there are signs of weather, signs of danger, signs of future good or evil, and signs of what the past has been. Symbols are a more detailed concept than signs. They make people think about things beyond the obvious and immediate meaning. At least that is the way that I see symbols. When it comes to the importance of symbolic understanding, it has not really been given the essential importance in education today. Research has found that symbolic understanding is crucial for an individual’s development. It goes without saying that symbolic understanding gives a sense of self, a sense of reality, and being able to consider things that might be missing. We cannot afford to neglect this area of development. The very language we use is symbolic and although we may believe that each word is clear, it may be cloudy to the majority of people. We are symbolic creatures. We have been trained to think in symbols. Every culture and era have introduced a different symbol system. These can include; sentence variety, slang, correct grammar, and technical language. There are probably hundreds if not thousands or millions of symbols that are in circulation. There are more symbols being created right now, even as I write this, that have spread throughout time. When thinking about symbols, mathematics comes to mind. Where would we be without math? Another important fact to consider is the symbols that are used in music. Life without music would be dreadful. According