Blog 2: The Allegory of the Cave through History

                In history, mankind has come up with many theories in order to give reason to what is happening in the world around them. Over time, these theories have often become clouded with illusions of a perfect world. Adolf Hitler is an example of a theorist who believed in an illusion. He believed in an Aryan race that was composed of people with fair skin and blue eyes and that Jews were the root of evil. Ultimately, this man single handedly turn a country against one religious group of people.
                 Adolf Hitler was a German Nationalist, so when he was stationed in a town that had been delcared a socialist republic, he became enraged with anger. He realized that the leaders of this socialist party were all Jews and began believing that socialism was a conspiracy. This was the motive of Hitler's hatred to all Jews. He was able to draw followers in by delivering emotional speeches filled with disgust and ill will against the state Germany was in, all while staying secretive and out of the public eye. People became fixated on Hitlers passionate beliefs an he suddenly became popular. Because of his unique approach, he was able to captivate Germans attention and being that they were vulnerable from post war, he was able to take that vulnerability and hide nationalism within socialism. 
                With the public and nazi party on his side, Hitler was able to brainwash them into believing that the jewish population would taint the aryan race and if they were not stopped they would take control of world. He wanted to seclude Jews in order to prevent interracial relations. As a result, Jews were put concentration camps where they were abused, tortured, and murdered. 
                After the suicide of Hitler and the Nazi party was overruled by the government, the tragic effects of this disgusting illusion Hitler fed to the society of Germany and his followers. The disturbing events of this time period have affected history unlike any other recorded event. People finally accept the truth of an unfortunate, negative illusion.

Blog 2

Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave" begins with Socrates opening the imagination of Glaucon, by depicting a scenario of Humans that have been living in a den since their adolescence. All their lives these people have been chained from their legs and neck, solely allowing them to face a wall lighted by fire from behind them . On these walls are images of puppets which are carrying various objects such as vessels and animals and from the background are echoes that bounce off of the walls. Socrates explains to Glaucon they cannot comprehend sounds, but the images they can see for there selves before them.

Socrates continues to describe to Glaucon the prisoners being released from their chains and having the initial urge of wanting to stand and walk around. When the prisoners approach the light, they are overwhelmed from the light of the sun and become quickly afflicted with pain and anxiety.  When they have clarity of their new reality and are questioned of the objects around them, they become uncomfortable with the unfamiliar. Socrates proposes the question whether or not they would want to return to the shadows on the wall they've been accustomed to their whole lives? He continues to go into depth as to how the prisoners would slowly adapt to their new world continously referring back to the shadows that reminded them of their old life. If the prisoner was to return to the den would he recall everything that was understood from living in dark for so long or would the teachings of his new reality allow him to forget his past?

Socrates explains to Glaucon that the allegory of his scenario is that soceity is consumed by the belief that our reality is made up by what we are told, living in a cave ourselves and not necesarily by our senses. If they obtained the knowledge available from our senses then our minds would be opened intellectually with the proper effort. Glaucon ultimately agrees to an extent.

Blog 1

When I was younger I became consumed with the idea that a fictional creature by the name of Chupacabra, also known as the “Blood Sucker” was real. It was a creature that was talked about in many Spanish countries that was part goat, part coyote. I wasn’t very familiar with this creature until one summer when I was about seven, my parents sent me to Puerto Rico to stay with some family members.


Many of my Cousins, Aunts and Grandmother often talked of the Chupacabra and I would watch Spanish news channels where reporters would show videos of “sightings” people would submit to the channels. I quickly became scared and uncomfortable with the idea that this blood sucking creature would kill our family horse and possibly come into the room where I stood and kill me at night. Countless nights I would try convincing my cousins to stay up with me and to play or watch movies.  I tried any and everything I could think of not to go to sleep until my grandmother forced me too.  That summer I remember practically suffocating myself under comforters and quilts just so I wouldn’t be visible to anyone or anything. A while after that summer, I believe time and maturity allowed me to get over my fear of the mysterious creature. Looking back on it, I feel silly for believing something like the chupacabra would exsist in the first place.


For myself, I believe I was brought up in a metaphorical cave, where I was taught to believe my family would not steer me in the wrong direction because they ultimately have my best interest at heart. I would have never questioned my families authority or judgement until that summer. I possibly questioned it again when I found out the tooth fairy and santa clause was not real. So I believe as we get older and start challenging our guardians authority, it all stems from those little white lies they told us when we were younger to keep us confined to the innocence/naiveness of our childhood. Though those little white lies my family told me for their personal amusement traumatized me at seven, I'm glad we can laugh on it now, even though I still find myself not being able to go to bed without being completely covered by quilts.