The Notion Of Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

Plato, famous philosopher and student of Aristotle, once wrote of his skepticism of common sense in a piece he titled, “Allegory of the Cave.” In reference to people chained in a cave he writes, “how could they see anything but shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?” As Plato highlights here, certain aspects of our reality will always allude us and thus our own perception of the world is based upon the shadows, or the biased perception of what we deem certain. One of these aspects that, according to Aristotle, that many of us only see the shadow of, is our current notion of what it means to live a good life? In the age of social media, celebrities and friends alike broadcast hundreds of pictures of travel or parties, all seemingly
Aristotle believed that Eudaimonia was not happiness or pleasure, but simply being the best version of you that you could be. However, this interpretation presented a new question, what makes humans the best versions of themselves? Aristotle answered this with the function argument. First, he argued that all tangible things have a specialized function that they are used to perform, such a lawnmower is used to cut grass. And what is good for this thing is simply that which makes if function the best, thus the lawnmower must have sharp enough blades to cut the grass and can move around easily and efficiently. Secondly, to find the function of an object you must find what makes it unique. A lawn mower is unique because it is the only thing that mows lawns, humans, Aristotle suggests, are unique because unlike almost any other object or organism, we can reason. Humans are capable of an incredible amount of introflection and reflection, we can utilize rationale unlike any other known species. Being able to reason well
Aristotle emphasizes that, “excellence is not a singular act; it is a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.” Virtue itself is not a state of mind but rather a habit of being that is so deeply ingrained in our mind that it has become synonymous with who we are. This is evidenced by our current understanding and practices of cognitive science in which each action or thought you undergo creates a specific pathway of neurons through the brain. The more you practice these actions or patterns of thought, the stronger the neural pathways become and the easier they can then be recalled. This concept serves as the basis of psychological techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy in which the patient works to create conscious patterns of behavior and thought in order to change his or her unconscious or involuntary thoughts and