Philosophy
Get flash to fully experience Pearltrees
Free Will & Determinism
Values & Ethics
Allegory of the Cave
Plato realizes that the general run of humankind can think, and speak, etc., without (so far as they acknowledge) any awareness of his realm of Forms. The allegory of the cave is supposed to explain this. In the allegory, Plato likens people untutored in the Theory of Forms to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they can see is the wall of the cave. Behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet, along which puppeteers can walk.
( Photo by JB Banks ) Everything we do is for the purpose of altering consciousness. We form friendships so that we can feel certain emotions, like love, and avoid others, like loneliness. We eat specific foods to enjoy their fleeting presence on our tongues.
Drugs and the Meaning of Life
Nihilism confuses people. "How can you care about anything, or strive for anything, if you believe nothing means anything?" they ask.
Belief in Nothing
Philosophy