Pi and Plato
Dennis Pang
Hock
Academic English IV
16 October 2012 To seek the truth of the unknown is the inquisitive nature of humans. One cannot help but acknowledge that they are a tiny speck surrounded by the insurmountable amount of knowledge hidden in the world which humans strive to gain an understanding of. Yet many of those who try to apprehend such knowledge lack the ability to perceive why some things in the world are better off not knowing. The Allegory of the Cave written by Plato and the movie Pi by Darren Aranofsky demonstrate exactly why such goals should not be attainable. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato expresses the idea of different perception of the real reality and the fear of letting go that perceived reality. The prisoners chained in a cave their whole life believe the shadows is what signifies their real world and the ultimate reality whereas one prisoner (the Philosopher) reluctantly leaves the cave and he discovers the real truth of the world. Obtaining enlightenment, he has now understood their misconception of reality and intends on sharing with his fellow prisoners. In the movie Pi, a genius mathematician name Max Cohen is on the pursuit for obtaining the key for understanding all existence. Obsessed with trying to understand the concept of our world, he is determined to find out a pattern that lays hidden within. He experiences 5 hallucinations in which signifies his process of apprehending knowledge and the reluctance to go forward with his research as he fears the dangers ahead of knowing such things. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Pi both share similar goals but in opposite fashion, the Philosopher wants to enlighten others but is rejected for his knowledge whereas Max does not want to share his knowledge with the world but his knowledge is valued upon and can be benefited from. Max and the Philosopher’s process of apprehending knowledge in order to gain a better understanding of the reason for all things will prove to have
Hock
Academic English IV
16 October 2012 To seek the truth of the unknown is the inquisitive nature of humans. One cannot help but acknowledge that they are a tiny speck surrounded by the insurmountable amount of knowledge hidden in the world which humans strive to gain an understanding of. Yet many of those who try to apprehend such knowledge lack the ability to perceive why some things in the world are better off not knowing. The Allegory of the Cave written by Plato and the movie Pi by Darren Aranofsky demonstrate exactly why such goals should not be attainable. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato expresses the idea of different perception of the real reality and the fear of letting go that perceived reality. The prisoners chained in a cave their whole life believe the shadows is what signifies their real world and the ultimate reality whereas one prisoner (the Philosopher) reluctantly leaves the cave and he discovers the real truth of the world. Obtaining enlightenment, he has now understood their misconception of reality and intends on sharing with his fellow prisoners. In the movie Pi, a genius mathematician name Max Cohen is on the pursuit for obtaining the key for understanding all existence. Obsessed with trying to understand the concept of our world, he is determined to find out a pattern that lays hidden within. He experiences 5 hallucinations in which signifies his process of apprehending knowledge and the reluctance to go forward with his research as he fears the dangers ahead of knowing such things. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Pi both share similar goals but in opposite fashion, the Philosopher wants to enlighten others but is rejected for his knowledge whereas Max does not want to share his knowledge with the world but his knowledge is valued upon and can be benefited from. Max and the Philosopher’s process of apprehending knowledge in order to gain a better understanding of the reason for all things will prove to have
Cited: Pi. Dir. Darren Aranofsky. Perf. Sean Gullette and Mark Margolis. Artisan Entertainment, 1998. DVD. Plato. The Allegory of the Cave. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. The humanities. Ed. Mary Ann Frese Witt. New York: Houghton Hifflin Company, 2005. 152-155.