Argumentative Essay
Philosophy is one discipline that has been used pervasively by great thinkers and scholars to pass moral lesson to the society. This field uses parables, fiction, and symbolism to communicate to the society. The three books, Myth of the cave, Abolition of Man and The Inquisitor pursue human various human values. A collection of these literary works gives a comprehensive teaching on human life. Education and enlightenment is the major theme running across the three publications. Moral values, education, religion, and freedom of choice are interwoven to address the dimensions of human life exhaustively. This essay aims at exploring an overview the themes of each of the books then append them together to get an aggregate of the lessons being conveyed to the society
The Myth or Allegory of the cave is an analogy on the benefits of education as presented by renowned philosopher, Socrates. This allegory is curved as a dialogue with Glaucon, who was Plato’s brother. A myth is a fiction that tries to show the effects of education to the people in the dark side; that is the ignorant people. These people are always living behind the scenes of enlightenment and cannot live bright part of life. Socrates describes the prisoners as people who cannot engage reason but relies on the hearing, seeing, smelling, touching, and tasting senses to justify their knowledge (Plato, 2008, 21). The uneducated are depicted as the prisoners behind the shadows who later come out of the darkness and enjoy the beauty of the light, in this case the education. The educated can now learn the power of reasoning through mathematical manipulations and operations. The enlightened ultimately go to the rescue of the others still engulfed in the darkness. In as much as the era before education finds individuals dumb in the way of modern living, they ultimately find their way to the elite. It is worth noting that education is propagated from the people who attain it first to the others who are still illiterate.
In the read, Socrates shows how the enlightened individual marvels at the first sight of the light, which is education. This reveals the lacking situation that the people who do not have education experience. Evolution from the dark side of ignorance enables people to move to a higher order of reasoning. This encompasses involvement of introspection and reasoning to find the truth from the deception of the senses. Lack of education makes people become dogmatic and appeal to mass appeal to senses without involving their reasoning capability (Plato, 2008, 26).
Education comes out as a form of power that confers individuals with the confidence to advance an independent view of things, and continue to take leadership roles in enlightening others. In the analogy, it is apparent how the enlightened individuals take the lead in pulling their colleagues from the cave of darkness. This fictional account is a revelation to the elites in the world to advance their reasoning power through the knowledge of mathematics and other disciplines that are imparted by education to liberate the world out of ignorance. According to Socrates, this can only be achieved through exercising reasoning free from conditioning by the appeal to senses (Plato, 2008, 30).
It comes out clearly in the current education system that the most educated help pass on the knowledge to the others. In learning institutions where students undergo advanced learning in philosophy, the highly educated lecturers and professor impart the skill of assessing the reality in the sense through reasoning. The theme of the prisoners who see the light going back to lead their colleagues trapped in the dark cave repeats itself in this real life scenario. The light finally comes in the process as education is propagated to the people without it (Plato, 2008, 48).
The abolition of man is three-chapter collection that primarily talks about the science and technology and the effects it continues to have to the human culture. A theme of education that has been advanced by Plato metaphorically is being used in pursuance of science and technology. The story shows how the human nature has been taken up by science and technology. Lewis emphasizes the importance of pursuing the science to the good of human life and embracing the broad step in the education advancement to promoting science and technology (Lewis, 2000, 25). The book, however, is opposed to the ultimate domination of the science to exploit human values. The writer has in mind the increased use of science and technology to exploit other people in the process of attaining economic productivity. Science technology is important in the society but needs to be handled carefully not to surpass the human values. This topic brings up the issue of morality in the society on the use of human knowledge. It is imperative that as much as people advance their scientific knowledge; they should respect the position of human beings (Lewis, 2000, 31).
Science has enabled human beings to devise various ways of production while taking advantage of other people who do not have the means. This is what the writer of this topic warns against since the science is itself an inferior to human beings as its inventor.
Focusing on the second part of this book (the way) one finds a tug of war between the modernity and the traditional morals that need to be safeguarded. The topic moves to bargain the moral authority for human beings to acquire new life values at the expense of the traditional set of values that preserve the culture of people and the way of living (Lewis, 2000, 57). This study emphasizes on the essence of preserving the human values that already exist while regulating what to adopt from the emotive values in life. This is a rebuke on the blind adoption of the new life dimensions without evaluation of the essence of the traditional morals, which are usually better than new explorations (Lewis, 2000, 61). The native culture and way of living should always be maintained in as much as people explore the modernity to conquer nature and embrace other ways of life.
The study equates adoption of new ways of life like changing the most basic features like the sun and making a new sky. This shows how crucial it is to safeguard the initial human values irrespective of the urge to embrace new ways of life. In relation to the advancements in science and technology, the new advancements should not be left to influence new socialization to the society that may influence a change in the ethical standards (Lewis, 2000, 75).
It is evident that the way is a description of strive by human beings to overcome the nature through the scientific knowledge gained through reasoning. The ultimate goal of this topic is achieved by reinforcing the importance of appreciating human culture, and preserving the natively acquired moral codes even at the wake of new ways of life owing to advancement in science. The new ways are the findings of human beings as device means to manipulate nature through their power of reasoning.
The first lecture, men without chests, means people who are knowledgeable, but thrive in moral decadency. The lecture attempts to insist on the significance of invoking good virtues to ensure the human intellect becomes constructive (Lewis, 2000, 12). It entirely bargains a balance between skepticism on the legitimacy of truth and existence of morals. While it is good to engage reason and doubt to get the truth of any moral appeal, people should accept the human need for good morals.
Lewis enlightens people about the pivotal role of good virtues since they enhance a fulfilling intellectual fulfillment of a person. The symbolism in “a man without a chest” appeals to individuals to conform to ethical dimensions of life irrespective of any urge to pursue the reason. The laments by Lewis contradict the intellectual person on why one should appeal to the moral ethics without skeptically evaluating its truth. However, this should be corrected by perseverance to ethics for the good of human life (Lewis, 2000, 16).
Virtues may not be true absolutely if subjected to reason, but it is crucial to understand that if moral values are eroded, intellectual values also lack meaning. This may lead to a world where one explores personal interests without any regulation relative to other beings. This topic accords all people the responsibility to preserve moral virtues through persevering their dictates (Lewis, 2000, 31).
Dostoevsky in his book The grand Inquisitor explores the dimensions of freedom in the light of the temptations that Jesus underwent in the wilderness as stipulated in the religious readings. This connects with Plato’s education emphasis since it is through enlightenment provided in education that one can choose between good and bad. Reasoning applies in this book also since it guides an effective evaluation of the best choices. The theme that runs through the entire topic is freedom of human beings. He explores the three temptations and gives a general interpretation that Jesus’ rejection to accept the tests symbolize freedom (Dostoevsky, 2008, 11). Dostoevsky postulates that people have the free will to choose what they like, even to refuse Christian doctrines that Jesus pioneered. In the light with the writer’s laments, freedom of choice between right and wrong is a key value that people should not forget to be able to live to one's expectations.
The society should be left to explore their freedom without subjection to rigid doctrines. This is a way of overcoming mass appeal to every human course of life. Freedom is a universal craving to all human beings and needs to be granted in abundance within guiding limits. In the parable, Dostoevsky gives insights to people to prioritize their freedom to choose what is good in nature and abandon the bad deeds (Dostoevsky, 2008, 18).
In contrast with Dostoevsky’s tenets, it is worth noting that even though there is free will to choose not to follow Christian values; religion is a good tool in exploring a moral will. The culture is embedded in the religious believes, therefore, being unreligious may make an individual susceptible to immoral practices. According to human moral understanding, it is not acceptable to appeal to Satan and reject religion that teaches good values. This prompts people to be cautious when making a choice of the best way to pursue religion.
Human beings usually have the power of introspection and skepticism to evaluate what is good and bad. These should guide one to choose the right out of Dostoevsky’s postulations to start with. On a wider perspective, freedom should be pursued to yield the best choices in human life in the light of reason and intellect (Dostoevsky, 2008, 29).
The argumentation above reveals that completeness of a human being is enhanced by a collection of values. Plato shows the importance of education to human beings as a way of enlightenment and insists on the need to help other people get education. Lewis expounds on the human craving to rule nature by use of science. Dostoevsky reveals the importance of moral values in complimenting an intellectual. It is worth noting how the books reveal the life of a human being as a mix of various factors.
Lewis can talk about science because education has already taken place. The subject of pursuing good morals and discarding the bad ones describes an intellectual, who is an educated person. Education is a key factor in human life since it helps people learn about their freedoms and seek the truth through reasoning. An educated person is complete if he or she can observe good morals in his or her intellectual capacity.
Works cited
Lewis, C. S. Abolition of Man. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2000. Print.
Plato,. The Allegory of the Cave. Brea, CA: P & L Publication, 2010. Print.
Dostoyevsky, F. The Grand Inquisitor. New York: Crossroad Pub, 2008. Print.
