Plato, Sir Francis Bacon, and Albert Camus What is...

Knowledge, that certain indescribable thing that everyone thinks they have a little bit of, is an elusive concept that nearly every philosopher from ancient Greece to the modern day has given at least a nod to. How, after all, can we know that we are right in something if we dont know what knowing is? This question, and the sometimes futile attempt to answer it, is called epistemology. More specifically, it is the study of how we know and what that knowledge actually is. Is knowledge objective, subjective, something else, or even possible? In ancient Greece, a group of men who came to be known as the Sophists sold their â€Å"knowledge† without ever believing absolute knowledge was possible. According to them, the only things that could†¦show more content†¦This knowledge and development of kings doesnt come easily in Platos world. It is an ordeal, a journey, and a painful path that one must undertake with various points of confusion and many reasons to turn back instead of pushing ahead. That journey itself is, to me, what comes across as the reality of the message behind â€Å"The Allegory† and possibly the reality of reality itself. The journey begins the same for everyone; they live â€Å"in an underground den. . . and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them† (Plato 1). Everything that I experience comes to me only through the senses and my opinions of what those senses are. If I see shadows I give them meaning and call that knowledge, if I hear sounds I give them authors and call that knowledge, and if I speak with m y neighbor and share our knowledge, we become wiser. This form of life might not be perfect, but for many its comfort, its safe, and its all they know. But what if, Plato says, the prisoners are set free? Just like learning something new for the first time, the prisoners would be troubled and pained as they stand and walk for, possibly, the first time ever (Plato 2), but this isShow MoreRelatedhistory of philosophy5031 Words   |  21 Pagesthe study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include (but are not limited to): How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically? What drives the development of thought in its historical context? To what degree can philosophical texts from prior historical eras be understood even today? All cultures — be they  prehistoric,  medieval, or  modern;  Eastern,  Western,  religious  or  secular  Ã¢â‚¬â€ have had their own unique schools