Reading 1 - Plato Response

Plato’s analogy of the prisoners and their shadows in the cave I thought to be very effective in relation to politics and knowledge. We perceive the world through the filters of our experiences and what we understand to be truths – both of which can significantly skew what actually is. He goes on to explain his reasoning for why philosophers never seek to govern or involve themselves in politics. He argues that philosophers do not seek personal gain, and therefore do no seek to govern over or forcefully influence others. I found this particularly interesting since overall I found the piece to be extremely insightful. After reading the piece through the first time, one of my first thoughts left me wondering why we continue to face such struggles for power and inequality today, when a philosopher who lived over 2000 years ago seems to have it all figured out.