The concept of truth has been a
topic widely talked about. What is truth
and how do we determine if the definition we settle on is wrong or even the
truth for that matter. The topic of
truth is so old even Plato, Socrates and Aristotle talked and debated about
it. Truth is even talked about in the
Bible so it just makes you wonder how long has this concept really existed and
when did we first realize it or is it born into us?
The
discussion read for this paper was by Plato, but it was between Socrates and
Glaucon; a student of Socrates. Socrates
was teaching Glaucon about truth by having him picture a cave with one opening
where light could come in. In this cave
there were men chained by their neck and legs so they cannot move in
anyway. They are set to facing a
wall. Behind them there is a platform
where people can walk across and a fire which causes shadows to be cast on the
wall that they men are forced to face.
These men are allowed to talk to one another and discuss what all they
see and what they think it is and if it is its true form. Socrates then tells Glaucon that one of the
men is unchained and allowed to move around.
However, because this person was forced to face a wall his entire life
he does not know what to think and how to look at the “new” world around
him. Everything he thought to be true
was not the entire truth. This man is
then forced to go outside which causes him great pain because he has to look
into true light instead of artificial light.
In the end the man learns what is truth and what is fabrication then he
is forced back into his chains.
By
Plato telling this lecture he is explaining that when we are young and learning
we are taught false truths or not whole truths.
When we become older and are able to learn things on our own we come to
find new truths that we were not aware of or were not allowed to know at the
time. As we learn these truths though,
we could be ridiculed by people who choose not to notice these truths or who
choose to live in their safe lives of their own truths rather than embracing
the reality of the world around them. To
show this particular explanation Socrates had told Glaucon that the men who
were still chained to the floor and who did not get to experience the truths
the other man did would not believe anything the man said and the man pitied
them because they did not know what he knew and they would not consider what he
said to be truth.
In
the Bible the same things can be said. In John (8:32) when Jesus tells the
people who follow him “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.”. Jesus constantly tells his
followers that if they believe in him and God then they will know what is true
and what is not, but if you follow anyone else then you will be led astray and
not know right from wrong nor know what is true and what is fake.
This
article was written about a small story from Plato’s book The Republic. It is just a short discussion between Socrates
and one of his students, Glaucon. Plato
was merely trying to explain how we learn of truth or rather how our concept of
truth is developed as we grow up and gain knowledge. He also was trying to point out that not many
people want to learn what truth really is because it scares them to think that
not everything they were taught or lead to believe is actually correct. This also gives you sense of the world being
a larger place than we are accustomed to think and that thought alone can
startle people into small mindedness.
The fact that Truth was talked about before Christ was born is
interesting and something to think about.
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