The problem of modernity is the core: the change of ancient and modern times, the characteristics and problems of modern society.

What to learn in this course: gain a vision and cultivate a way of thinking, that is, critical thinking.

1, the characteristics of modern society

From the perspective of ideology and culture, the most important thing in the modern transformation of the western world is the process of rationalization.

2. The relationship between the source of western cultural traditions and Greek civilization.

1) the rational spirit of ancient Greece

2) Hebrew religious tradition

The so-called Greek and Hebrew or Athens and Jerusalem are all binary relations of knowledge and belief, philosophy and theology, reason and religion.

3. The cave fable of Plato's Republic, an ancient Greek philosopher.

There is a copywriting reference Baidu Encyclopedia:

/item/ cave fable /6522732? Fr = Aladdin

A group of people are like prisoners, living in a cave for generations. This cave has a long passage leading to the outside. People's necks and feet are locked, so they can't look around and can only face the cave wall. There is a fire burning behind them. Between the fire and the prisoner, there were some people walking around with utensils, and the transformed image of the utensils was cast on the cave wall in front of the prisoner by the fire. Prisoners can't look back, don't know the reason of the images, think these shadows are "reality", call them by different names, and get used to this life.

When the prisoner accidentally broke free from the shackles, ta was forced to stand up, turn around and look directly at the fire behind him, which would hurt ta's eyes and make him dizzy and unable to know the real thing. Now, if someone tells ta, the projection that ta saw before is just an illusion, and ta is getting closer and closer to reality. Let's assume that ta was reluctantly dragged to the steep and rugged passage and pulled out of the cave until the sun existed. Ta will feel dizzy near the sun room. Ta can't see anything else called reality at all. Ta must adapt to the scene of the world above.

Do you think ta will appreciate these changes when he thinks of the wisdom and his companions in the cave where he once lived? Do you feel sorry for ta's companions?

Imagine that ta suddenly left the sun and returned to the previous situation. Wouldn't ta think what he saw was pitch black? If they have a race to see the fastest projection on the wall, then ta must compete with those prisoners who have never been out of the house. ta's eyesight has not adapted to the darkness. Before ta gets used to it, won't his companions laugh at ta for running out of the cave and ruining his vision, or is it better not to go out?

Three meanings of Plato's cave fable

1, the sun represents goodness, and goodness can only be obtained through knowledge; Sunlight represents rationality and gives us real knowledge.

There are two worlds inside and outside the cave. A cave without sunshine is a world of ignorance that obscures reason, while a cave with sunshine is a world of truth.

Walking out of the cave is an irreversible change, and no one wants to go back to the cave unless there are special reasons.