Plato and Nietzsche PowerPoint

Theology Project: Plato and Nietzsche: 

Theology Project: Plato and Nietzsche By Trevor Healy Float 8 Theology Mr. Cody Due: September 29, 2011

Background on Plato: 

Background on Plato Lived: 423 B.C. – 348 B.C. Classical Greek Philosopher Mathematician Famous student of Socrates Author of many philosophical dialogues

Background on Nietzsche: 

Background on Nietzsche Lived: October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900 19 th Century German Philosopher Poet and Composer Famous for his critical texts of religion and morality Noted for his radical style of questioning on values and traditions

Plato’s Cave: 

Plato’s Cave Essential concepts (Literal Value): Cave: A dark place containing the shackled prisoners Chains: The bindings on the prisoners preventing them from leaving Prisoner: Escapes the cave and notices the world around him is different than what he previously thought it to be Fire: Used by the puppeteers to cast shadows along the wall in front of the prisoners Statues and objects: The source of the shadows Puppeteers: People who manipulate the fire and objects to create shadows Sun: A light that temporarily blinds the escaped prisoner, but once he has adjusted to the light, he sees the world around him much more clearly.

Plato’s Cave Analysis: 

Plato’s Cave Analysis Cave: Symbolizes lack of light. This absence of light is representative of a void of knowledge, wisdom, and learning. Coupled with darkness, the cave is a place of acceptance without questioning, one of the most dangerous forms of learning. Chains: Representative of obstacles and hindrances that one faces in their own life. For example, a bad group of friends, drugs, and ignorance are all shackles that we must face on our journey to the achievement of higher learning. Prisoner: Symbolic of any individual who is rewarded with the opportunity of greater wisdom. The freed prisoner discovers first hand the objects of the shadows. He is able to interpret and see for himself, rather than accept their description from anyone else. The prisoner ultimately returns to his fellow prisoners within the cave to share his new knowledge. This is symbolic because it is human nature to share our successes and new learning with our peers in the hopes of elevating their wisdom.

Plato’s Cave Analysis Continued: 

Plato’s Cave Analysis Continued Fire: Symbolic of artificial light. The fire is utilized by the evil people in our lives to trick and deceive us. An example of real life “fire” is misguided and misleading propaganda. Although fire is often used for evil purposes, it is not itself an evil thing, it simply has the capacity to be controlled, and hence, it is abused. Statues and objects: The statues and objects are representative of books, information, and ideas. The “shadows” only cast them in a basic and vague form. However, provided the opportunity to interpret and learn using our own mind, we can discover and create our own ideas and thoughts. Puppeteers: Symbolic of evil people, the puppeteers are constantly involved in our lives, despite our best efforts to keep them away. They will never completely disappear but we can always disregard their messages. They preach hate, war, and muddled thinking. They do not advocate individual thought and simply wish for their will and beliefs to reign supreme over your own. Sun: This is a powerful light that cannot be controlled by any human. It represents pure, uncontaminated information and unrestricted learning. It is originally blinding because all truths are difficult to grasp and understand upon their discovery. However, in due time, when the eyes of the “prisoner” adjust to the light, he can see the knowledge and wisdom for the first time.

Three Metamorphoses: 

Three Metamorphoses Essential concepts (Literal Value): Spirit: The spirit of a man who undergoes many transformations and encounters multiple challenges along the way. Camel: The beginning of the transformation, this animal calls upon the heroes to provide him with the heaviest task, and the most difficult burdens. The camel recognizes its strength but is unaware of how to use it, it simply knows that it wants to exult and display it. Lion: The middle stage in the metamorphosis. The lion does not want to follow any rules, and will battle and fight any individual who tries to take his freedom from him by means of control or regulation. Dragon: Not one of the stages of transformation, but an important part of the process because the lion fights the dragon, and ultimately kills it. The lion despises the scales of the dragon which contain the values of thousands of years. The dragon represents the authority that the lion despises, and hence, a battle is inevitable. Child: The final stage in the metamorphosis, the child is the last step that the spirit takes in its journey. The child has provided the “Sacred Yes,” which is the exact opposite of the lion’s “Sacred No.”

Three Metamorphoses Analysis: 

Three Metamorphoses Analysis Spirit: The spirit of a man is representative of any individual who is undergoing a transformation. This spirit goes through the stages of a man’s development, although each person is unique in the amount of time they require to develop. Camel: The stage is symbolic of adolescents and young adults. These people recognize their physical development but still rely heavily on authority figures for guidance, rules, and commands so that they can exult this strength and demonstrate their power. Lion: A clear representation of freedom and power. Examples are seen in teenagers who no longer wish to abide by the will of any sort of authority. This ranges from teachers, to school administrators, or law enforcement. The “lion” or teenager rebels against these things because they attempt to control and regulate his most precious possession, freedom. Dragon: The dragon that interacts with the cycle are parents and teachers. They carry the values of discipline, order, and respect for authority and rules. The adolescent or lion, must defeat this individual as a means of developing his own thinking. Child: Symbolic of the “re-birth,” the child transformation occurs in adulthood. At this point, an individual has the power to assert his own will, think for himself, and define his own values to abide by, rather than those set by the authoritative figures of his past.

Citations: 

Citations http:// www.nietzschecircle.com/images/Munch_Nietzsche_1906.jpg http:// www.thequoteblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/nietzsche.jpg http:// www.scriptoriumdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/nietzsche.jpg http:// media.comicvine.com/uploads/5/52301/1301221-portrait_of_friedrich_nietzsche.jpg http:// www.davemckay.co.uk/philosophy/nietzsche/nietzsche.jpg http:// gramata.univ-paris1.fr/Plato/squelettes/img/plato.gif http:// etc.usf.edu/clipart/1200/1247/Plato_1_lg.gif http:// www.iep.utm.edu/wp-content/media/plato.jpg http:// www.philosophypages.com/vy/platr.jpg http://www.windows2universe.org/people/images/plato.gif