So, let's keep it short and sweet this weekend. If ignorance is bliss, were the prisoners happier at the lowest level of the cave or the highest? [Not in a literal sense, most people I know aren't keen to be chained in a cave]

One of the scary thought that occurred to me while reading and discussing the fifth part of the Republic is how slowly feminist ideas seem manifest and travel. The fact that these ideas were brought up over 2,000 years ago and still we don't have an equal society is insane. And it begs the question, will we ever, as a species, get to a point where woman are truest equal worldwide? Or is there always going to be a fight? What do you think?

Emme wanted to get in on the blogging. [those are Plato branded dog treats]

One of the ideas we played with in class is the fact that Athenians would often sprout lines of prose during a conversation rather than offering an original thought. Like most of Plato’s knowledge I feel like this happens a lot in our culture, especially with politics. Our political system has become incredibly polarized, so much so that people on either side could never imagine considering the other party legitimate. A big part of this seems to come from the news and media that we consume. People only ever look at news sources that back up their belief because that’s what makes them feel smart. They get to listen to Tomi Lahren rant and rave about democrats and it makes them feel better about themselves. I’m not trying to say you should go out and bookmark breitbart “news,” but I do think people should start to be more critical about the information they are absorbing. Rather than waiting for someone like Trevor Noah to boil down a new law for you go out and actually read the law. Don’t take other peoples word for it. Certainly the media can guide you in the right direction but I think it’s important for us as people living in a free society to exercise our right to be informed and make decisions on our own.

And I think that is what Plato was trying to get at. Rather than parroting what someone else tells you is right, go out and find what is right.