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Unit 1: How do we know what is

real?

• What does it mean to knowsomething? – Much of education is about trying to

understand the content of the dierentthings we study. In this unit, we take a

step back from that eort andinvestigate what it means to understandanything at all.

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Epistemology[ih-pis-tuh-mol-uh-jee]

the study of knowledge

• a branh of philosophy thatin!estigates the origin" nature"

methods" and limits of humanknowledge#

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Unit 1$

• We will explore the dierences between philosophical, scientic, religious, andartistic ways of understanding the world.

• We will also investigate some sources ofthe typical errors that keep us from

thinking as clearly as we might , and askourselves how much we ought to careabout !getting it right." 

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%eek 1 &eture:

'(llegory of the )a!e*by +lato

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• ,iroosm the shoolyard is amiroosm of the larger soiety# (t asmaller le!el segment of soiety

• ,aroosm generali.ed" largersale" ie/ entire soiety

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%hy (llegory?

• 0tories are more interesting to theommon person than a longaademi bookessay#

• 0afe way of ommuniation in arepressi!e go!ernmentsoietybeause you are using metaphorsand symbols to get message aross#

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%hat is an allegory?

• a story" poem" or piture that an beinterpreted to re!eal a hiddenmeaning" typially a moral or politial

one

• ,etaphor: a thing regarded asrepresentati!e or symboli ofsomething else" espeially somethingabstrat#

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%ho was +lato?

• &i!ed from 234-524 6)E

•

7n8uential anient 9reek philosopher• En!isioned an ideal ity go!erned by

'+hilosopher ings*

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https:www#youtube#omwath?!;ub!pw

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h t t p :roket#susb#edu@tmoody+latoa!e#A+9

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'Bhe (llegory of the )a!e*by +lato 0ummary0tudy >uestions

1# How is the a!e laid out? %hat are the diCerent le!els and who oupiesthem?

+risoners

+uppeteers

)a!e

0hadows

3# 0orates says 'eduation* Dultural formation/ is like being in a a!e sinehildhood# %hy?

5# =o most people want to free themsel!es from the a!e? %hy or why not?

2# )on8it between ational thinking and Emotional thinking

- %hih one did +lato fa!our and why?

- %hat are the onseFuenes of a narrow world!iew and emotional orsuperstitious thinking?

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