Lesson 3B
Assignment 8: Essay: Applying Socrates’ and Plato’s
Philosophies to Contemporary Culture
Requirements
4 page essay, Times New Roman 12 point font, one-inch margins, double-spaced, proper MLA
parenthetical citations for all quotes. Include an introductory paragraph in which you explain to
the reader the intent and content of your essay, culminating in a thesis statement that
encapsulates the main claim/s of the essay.
Description
Your final task for this lesson will be to apply what you have learned from Plato’s Allegory of the
Cave and the Divided Line to our contemporary culture. Your essay should illustrate familiarity
and comprehension of the main points of Plato’s view of reality and his vision of moving from
the epistemological level of opinion to true knowledge, and apply these themes to some
contemporary issue. Additionally, your essay should consider how Socrates’ method of
questioning and practice of philosophy is relevant in moving from opinion to knowledge.
You may either pick a current event/problem/situation or analyze how a contemporary film, such
as the Truman Show, The Matrix, or Pleasantville, reflects these themes of moving from
appearance to reality, or of discovering that one’s beliefs about the world are less certain than
originally believed (the situation of the people in the cave).
Some questions that you may want to consider in your essay:
• How does Plato’s philosophy help us to explain or recognize certain human reactions to
our opinions being challenged? In what ways can we be subject to only a partial view or
perspective about the world? Could the world we know and are familiar with be, in fact,
an illusion? Think about different examples of how, in our contemporary world, we often
remain at the level of opinion or belief, rather than seeking out the true nature of things,
when perhaps we take our personal experience as indicative to the whole of reality. How
does this contribute to the problems that we have in society, such as stereotypes,
racism, sexism, discrimination, or xenophobia?
• You will also need to think about how Plato’s epistemological task is a continuation of
Socrates’ philosophical aims and how the Socratic Method is important for moving from
opinion to knowledge, as Plato insists we must do. Socrates’ method of questioning and
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his experience of discovering that often people do not know what they thing they know
show us why it is important to seek out other perspectives than one’s own. Exposing
ourselves to other viewpoints and learning that there are other experiences of the world
that are not our own are ways to actually recognize if we have been living in the cave all
along.
Rubric as follow:
Length – Graded assignments should be sufficient in length to address the
question(s) or topic(s) completely. In this case, your essay should be a
minimum of four complete pages of writing (this does not include heading).
Submissions outside of the specified parameter will receive fewer points, and
you may be required to resubmit assignments which are significantly below
word limit or expectations.
10
Writing Skills –
• No first person in formal writing assignments
• Essay must include an introduction and thesis that indicates the entire
aim of the essay, including reference to the specific contemporary debate
or film to be discussed.
• Includes transitions/topic sentences that guide the reader and explain
how information will be used or connects to the theme of the essay
• Quotes are contextualized – introduced for why they are important and
then analyzed substantially after their use
15
Content –
• Essay should include effective expression of ideas, supporting detail
from the materials/readings provided and relevant examples for such
ideas when appropriate.
• Essay should demonstrate insight into the topic and clear demonstration
familiarity and comprehension of the significance of Plato’s allegory of
the cave.
Essay should address the following topics:
• Main points of Plato’s view of reality and his vision of moving from the
epistemological level of opinion to true knowledge (through allegory of
the cave and divided line).
• How Plato’s epistemology is influenced by the Socratic Method
• The distinction between appearance and reality
• Indicate how Plato’s philosophy is relevant to a current
event/problem/situation (only one) or film.
50
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• Analysis of debate or film/philosophy relationship is detailed and remains
focused on connecting to Plato’s philosophy
Presentation – You are expected to demonstrate college-level writing skills,
appropriate sentence structure, format, and grammar. Assignments which are
marred by errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling or organization will receive
fewer points, and you may be required to resubmit assignments which are
marred by significant errors.
10
References – include properly formatted references for all
materials/websites/information which are cited or utilized in your work.
