P: Socrates? Why must we continue living if our lives end so abruptly, as we grow old and alone what must we feel but sadness?

S: You must not think to the future, however you need to reestablish your lifestyle if you feel like you are not living up to your potential. Happiness is not easy to retrieve but if you are virtuous and enjoy each moment, you will grow old a happy man.

P: However how am I to know that I will be able to achieve happiness before I am old and am no longer here.

S: Negativity is not a way to experience the pleasure of life. If you believe in what you are capable of accomplishing, your life will be prosperous and left without regret.

P: Regret? You mean if I do not push to my full potential I will not be happy?

S: Happiness can be achieved in many different ways however if you achieve your life goals, what more did you need from life?

-Ryan Berman

The real concept of the human nature has been discussed since the people realize that there is more than a luminous or a darker stage. This perception has been taken in the beginning of the seventh book by Socrates and he shows us a concrete example about two attributions of the human condition: education and ignorance.  In a simple way to analyze the allegory of the cave we can assume directly that the first stage, when the person is living in the dark cave only knowing the shadows of people and objects in the exterior reflected by a big fire above and back of them, is related with the ignorance of our human condition as in the first stages of our live and the second moment, when the person went to the light suffocated by this great shyness and appreciate the truly reality of things, is pretty related to the education and wisdom in human condition. But then, Socrates describes a third moment that can destroy the first theory of what wisdom and ignorance really are. This person now illuminated for the sun, which is the representation of the fount of knowledge, came back to the dark cave and back to his old life seeing shadows. The question here is, now this person who has been in a stage of wisdom came to a world when all the knowledge about the reality is completely different than he knows, even is wrong, is he still wise or ignorant?

With all this allegory Socrates wants to explain that the perception of what wisdom or ignorance is affected by the context and the process of the changes of stages, from darker to a more luminous one. Also he implicitly says that education is not the art to bring knowledge to people in fact but to teach the better way to orientate the knowledge of the human nature in order to accomplish wisdom itself. Therefore, he shows that education is to orientate but not to bring something that the soul already has, and with this ignorance is not the absent of wisdom but is the absent of education forcedly. So education and ignorance cannot be describes in the true condition of human nature, but they can be describes as stages when the wisdom is orientated to a place to other depending the world where we live.

Jesus Minano

The “Allegory of the Cave” from Book VII of Plato’s Republic, is a metaphor that explains the importance of education.  Within the story, the men are bound by chains within a cave that has a fire lit behind them that projects shadows, for which the men mistake for real entities.  The cave itself is a representation of a cage, wherein the darkness and the chains that bind men inside of the cave are figurative for an all-encompassing ignorance that prevents mankind from following the path of true philosophy, which in itself is described as a “revolution of the soul” and can also be described as a path to achieve self-actualization.  With the dichotomy of light and dark, where light is knowledge and wisdom, and darkness is ignorance and folly, it could be seen that education is an essential aspect towards reaching one’s full potential as both an effective leader and as a successful human being.  It is not until one frees themselves from the binds of ignorance; that is, having the desire to learn, that they could understand the shadows for what they really are, and furthermore be able to understand both the real and the mysterious.

However, it must be noted that this enlightenment is not an instantaneous process to achieve success.  The knowledge gained from being able to see the fire compared to seeing only the shadows produced by them would surely contradict the knowledge that one believed that he had of the world around him. Knowledge isn’t a matter of suddenly giving the blind the sense sight.  It is the responsibility of knowledge to point a person in the right direction, as much as it is the responsibility for the person to reflect on contradictions of knowledge and use reason to divine the unknown.  With this said, it is also not enough for one to simply reflect, but it is necessary to apply and spread knowledge for the good of society in order to be considered a successful person.   If one possesses wisdom, but chooses not to act on their knowledge, the wisdom is useless.  Additionally, it is also the manner in which knowledge is used that determines a person’s success.  For example, a knowledgeable person who uses his or her knowledge for selfish purposes such as greed is sure to bring calamity to the state that they govern, whereas the people who use their knowledge for just purposes will build a well-governed society.

By Darryl Bethay

The allegory of the cave is an interesting idea proposed in book seven. The book attempts to explain an idea of education leading to a superior soul. A superior soul is one that receives knowledge through experiences. These experiences are explained by Plato in steps, steps in departure from the cave. While in the cave, the prisoner sees shadows as the realest thing possible. Then the prisoner is allowed to see the statues, he realizes that the statues that cause the statues are realer then the shadows. However, the shadows are still part of the prisoners reality. The prisoner is thrown out of the cave ; he is fascinated by the sun, the light that cause everything he sees. The prisoner sees that the statues were just mere copies of the true world around him. He understands that the statues are only replicas of everything in this world. Book seven states that this is a theoretical process of how knowledge builds the soul. The soul is a primitive idea without knowledge.

Copernicus and Galileo were mocked for their belief that the earth revolves around the sun, not quite so for their absurd theory in a world that believed the rise and set of the sun could only mean that the sun revolves around the earth, but rather due to a lack of knowledge of the audience. If one strongly believes in a certain theory, it may become difficult for them to see a contrasting idea. We fear what we do not know.

What Plato attempts at signifying through Socrates’s eyes in his book “Republic” (Book Seven) is a similar scenario, consisting of a group of prisoners who have been condemned to a dark cave, where it is ensured that they cannot move their heads, so that they may only see the wall ahead and the shadows cast from the fire behind them. He considers this hypothetical picture to mirror that of human knowledge, portraying that we know only what we see. The group of individuals consider only the shadows on the wall to be the entire universe, as that is all that they know.

He describes how if an individual from the group is abruptly forced to face the earth as we know it, away from the dreary cave and into the light, he would be shocked, intimidated, disturbed even. The change may not be welcome to him, nor is it probable that it would be much appreciated. He may rather choose to believe what he knew the world to be previously than what he is seeing now.

Slowly will the constraints of his mind unfold and gradually will he learn. He would learn to recognize items of nature, and then objects of astronomical study. Bit by bit will the reality become real to him. Then will he notice the sun, the great granter of light. His studies and observations would lead him to comprehend its intricacies, that it is an object on its own, and not a reflection, that it is the reason for the seasons, the reason he could see, the reason this world is so different from the one he once knew.

Taking a reroute back to present day, its unmistakably the same situation. We believe what we are told, we believe that which we see. But we fail to imagine what other knowledge there may be in the world and beyond which we have not yet been acquainted with. We may even shake our heads and let the thought pass, marking it as ridiculous. Similarly to the situation above, when we do discover new gen we are struck dazzled, and amazed, believing it to be the source of all reason, illuminating our once-dark mind on the matter.

Thus the allegory of the cave truly underlines the characteristics of human perception, portraying the difficulties in transition from either light to dark or light to dark, of comprehension and understanding and most importantly, analysis and acceptance of the vast world of knowledge.

Plato’s Republic book seven describes the cave metaphor. It tells a group of prisoners in a cave; they had being held there for a long period of time. Their necks and legs were chained against the wall. That’s why they can only look forward. There is a low wall blocking the hole, they can see the shadows of men and animals also they can hear the voices. This will make them think what the real world looks like. At a point if a prisoner who breaks the chains and leave the cave, he will discover how the real world is like, and will criticize the past life inside the cave.
Regarding to whether or not this freed prisoner should go back to cave and tell everyone the truth. Glaucon said that’s a philosopher’s responsibility. The philosopher’s responsibility in real life is to pleasure the entire state conditions and how the make better rules. Socrates says who masters dialectics have the ability to use the most scientific method to answer questions. Young people, whom receive higher honors in the first step, will have to do good continuously because defeating will make them lose faith in justice. So the author believes that philosophers have to educate those Youngers, tirelessly until the next successor to be trained.

The “allegory of the cave” is Socrates’ view of how education and knowledge works. He basically believes that everybody is capable of education but some want education more than others. The man in the cave who starts off as a prisoner, and is then thrown into the real world, comes to realize that there are bigger things than the shadows, statues and fire that he experienced in the cage. Living life in cage can only allow people to have a certain amount of knowledge, and everything they know will only be based on their experience in the cage. If people progress and start to experience new things, their knowledge of life will all grow and progress as well.

However, in my opinion Socrates is not saying that people need to be dragged out of their “cage” in order to gain education. I believe that Socrates feels that those who really want to experience life and the world, will show this through their studies. Socrates mentions that the man who escapes the cage and its darkness, and enters outside where there is light, will have enough experience to go back and teach those who are not as educated as him. Those individuals must show that they are also capable of growth, and Socrates mentions that those individuals must be watched when saying “have an eye on those who show the greatest ability in these questions, and the greatest firmness, not only in study, but also in war and other branches of discipline.” (253) I can see that Socrates feels that those who lead a virtuous life are mostly likely to have greater education over other individuals, and it seems like this is his one of his ways of maintaining happiness.

Book Seven begins with one of the most famous moments of Plato’s Republic, known as“the allegory of the cave,” which demonstrates the places discovery, learning, and curiosity can take us. Socrates starts off by describing a cave full of darkness and a bunch of men living in it. These men are bounded in a way where they cannot turn their heads; they could only look forward and face a wall.  A wall with shadows of statues on it, casted from the fire located behind them. Never seeing anything else besides the shadows, the men doesn’t know any better and considers the shadows to be real, and one of the only things present in the world. They know very little about the world. But as soon as a man gets the opportunity to be released from his boundaries a journey begins.

The man explores the cave discovering the fire and statues that’s been making the shadows all along. He is now learning things that are more real than just a shadow. His curiosity then drives him out of the cave into the real world, where he discovers the things surrounding him, and starts understanding the purpose of those things. Eventually when he returns back to the cave, all the other men makes fun of him. Since they are ignorant to the real world outside the cave. They don’t understand how much fuller his life is compared to theirs. Instead they question why would he ever go out the cave to gain sight to eventually lose it again. This is where the purpose of him coming back to the cave comes in. He returned to the cave not because he doesn’t like it outside, but it is his duty to educate and help the other prisoners in the cave.

Book Seven begins by comparing the natural condition to this because without education, which is composed of experience, learning, discovery and curiosity, humans are like the imprisoned men. Naturally when we are born we only know what our parents show us; we don’t have the ability to go off by ourselves. Just like how the prisoners see the shadow and nothing else, we only see the mental list of norms our parents and other interactions with our surrounding give us. When we finally have the ability to walk and go off by ourselves we get to discover the world through our own eyes and not be manipulated, just like the prisoner who eventually left the cave.

Colon cancer signs and symptoms are not apparent at its early stages.

But routine examinations can detect unknown cancerous cells and, if detected early enough, can save lives. Still, men and women who have surpassed their early years are more likely to die from colon cancer. Ninety percent of colon cancer deaths occur in men and women who are over the age of 50, and most cancerous cells start of as adenomas cells.

Adenomas cells, commonly known as polyps, grow slowly in the inner walls of the colon or rectum and is the direct result of rapidly growing cells that creates mass tissue and, eventually, takes on the form of a benign or malignant tumor. Adenomas are noncancerous but these cells have the potential to become cancerous or malignant.

And for the 150,000 colon cancer cases that spread across the United States each year and the 52,000 annual deaths that arise symptoms of colon cancer from this disease, the American Cancer Society says the cancer is easily traceable in exams and curable if tests are taken before colon cancer signs and symptoms show up.

Since colon cancer signs and symptoms are not always present, so a colonoscopy or an enema are the most common treatments. Unseen signs and symptoms are never a clear indication that cancer doesn’t exist, but if you were experiencing signs you may encounter unhealthy weight loss, bleeding in stool, pain during bowel movements, changes in bowel habits, stomach pain or fatigue. And although they sometimes blur in its meaning, a sign is objective evidence that can be traced such as bleeding, vomiting and weight loss, while symptoms are subjective in nature and immeasurable. Some symptoms can include fatigue and abdominal pain.

So why are so many men and women dying from a disease that is curable?

Denial, embarrassment and misinformation are the main reasons colon cancer is the third largest cause of cancer deaths for men and the fourth in women. No one talks about what hides in the inner walls of their intestines. It’s no conversation starter. And the pure mention of “cancer” can silence a room of roaming minds as society has been led to believe that cancer is a death sentence.

It’s what we do no talk about that is killing us.

Talk to a physician. Schedule an exam. There are several methods for removing cancerous cells within the colon or rectum.

Colonoscopy

Recommended to be done every 10 years after the age of 50, colonoscopy is a procedure that removes leftover stool that can block up the colon and bowel movements. This test detects and removes polyps in the colon.

Advantages: Test allows doctor to view the entire colon and remove polyps or abnormal tissue. The colon does not have to be cleanses before initial screening.

Disadvantages: Though sensitive, the test does not detect small polyps. colon cancer symptoms in women Test can also lead to tearing of the inner colon walls and bleeding. Sedation is also needed for this procedure.

Barium Enema

Inserting barium through the rectum, into the colon for x-ray screening of the large intestine is a procedure that should be taken every five years. The barium is a liquid that projects images of the colon and rectum using x-rays. The down side is that this test has the tendency to miss polyps that are greater that a centimeter long.

Advantages: This test also allows physicians to view the entire colon. Sedation is not needed for this test and, unlike the colonoscopy, there are minimal complications.

Disadvantages: Test can lead to false-positive results and additional testing becomes necessary. The colon must be cleansed before screening.

Fecal Blood Test

A Fecal blood test is used to detect blood in the stool. The sample can be collected at home and brought to a lab.

Advantages: This test costs less than most of the other screening test. Samples can be collected at home and the colon does not have to be cleansed before the screening.

Disadvantages: The test does not detect most polys in the colon. Dietary restrictions may be suggested days before screening.

Colon cancer signs and symptoms are not found until years after cells symptoms of colon cancer in women begin growing abnormally in the body. This unexpected symptoms claim the lives of 52,000 each year so various test have been implemented over the years to reduce deaths and birth hope for carriers of colon cancer

Description: It’s hard to imagine 52,000 people dying because of failed hospital visits. How valuable is your life? Is it worth saving? Ninety percent of colon cancer victims didn’t think so…

What I found intriguing when reading Book Seven was the discovery of the word dialectic. In the past I have always incorporated the word dialect to mean variance within one language. Through reading Book Seven I thought that dialectic was the same thing except applied to an individual, meaning an adjective. It was not until later on in the book did I realize it meant something completely different.

I continue to enjoy the way Socrates uses theoretical scenarios that he creates in his head. The man in the cave that cannot look in any direction has to use his imagination to establish a world, not knowing that he is completely misguided until he finally sees what lies outside. At first I was not sure what he was getting at with his example, until he brought up the point of sciences.

To fully be aware of the real world, one must follow certain sciences. The Socratic method makes sense in this case because Socrates manages to find examples within him to prove his point. He talks about why astronomy cannot be one of the sciences to bring about dialectic in a man, because astronomy is only concerned with illusion, one cannot fully know astronomy as they do not possess the tools to do so. Anyone who studies astronomy will get nowhere because it does not represent the fundamentals such as arithmetic or geometry. Bringing up the point of soldiers and combat, arithmetic help in the case of war, astronomy does not.

So what I understood, even though there was no mention of “happiness” in this book, I feel it can be linked to the notion of deciding reality from falsity. For one to be happy, one must first have ground on what is real and what he is dealing with. The example of the adopted child that Socrates brought up is one that proves my interpretation. The child is happy until he discovers that the whole time he has been unhappy.

– Olgi Qendro