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Season two of Plato’s Pod will begin with Plato’s allegory of the cave, simile of the sun, the nature of good, and the divided line of knowledge and opinion as we discuss passages 502(d)-521(b) from The Republic.

With this introduction to The Republic we might revisit the themes that featured in the dialogues of Plato covered in season one, in particular the nature of knowledge in a universe that distinguishes between that which always is and never becomes, and that which becomes but never is. We welcome the sharing of all perspectives, whether you are new to or experienced with Plato. Recordings of our previous episodes can be found at https://open.spotify.com/show/53Zvjr7avMylQgNqfqBxlk?si=ksA1Hp7TQn6BwghRqI26GA&dl_branch=1 and other popular podcast platforms.

In 502(d)-521(b), Socrates and Glaucon discuss the development of knowledge in the philosophers who would rule the idealized city. How will the rulers know the good from its opposite, and by what measures will they divide the line between knowledge and opinion to distinguish between intelligence, reason, belief, and illusion? Things are not always as they first appear, as Socrates illustrates in the allegory of the cave and the simile of the sun.

Are we like the prisoner in the cave in Plato’s famous allegory, blind to the source of the images that we see before us and unable to distinguish between reality and illusion? More recently the question has been posed by philosopher Nick Bostrom’s conjecture that we might be the product of an ancestor simulation by an advanced future civilization (see https://www.simulation-argument.com/simulation.html). We will explore these and other aspects of Plato’s text and wherever our discussion leads us Plato, without a doubt, would have imagined no better way than in dialogue for knowledge – the account of the reasons why – to multiply its connections.

This episode will be recorded in voice only without video, using first name as it appears on your screen profile, and podcast for those who would like to share in our knowledge. After the recording ends, participants are welcome to remain with us for a half hour of “Plato’s Café”, a casual discussion of your choice of themes from any of Plato’s works, or philosophy in general.

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APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK BEFORE THE MEETUP: Please visit https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqvPwkIofv4UaFldrPpbva3VSXI?e=3Y7PjP for questions and themes that we might address, as well as those explored in our previous meetups. We will also post the reading list for our next meeting which will generally be scheduled every two weeks on Sunday at 10 a.m. eastern. During our dialogue, participants are encouraged to relate their comments to Plato's text, referring to the Stephanus number for the passage so others can follow in the reading. Participants are also encouraged to read the text aloud so that the meaning of the written word can resonate.

There are many translations of Plato's works available, of varying quality. Your public library will have multiple electronic and printed editions. A free translation of The Republic is available at https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/150, although lacking in explanatory notes and passage reference numbers that would be useful for our discussion. Participants in our entire series might be interested in purchasing Plato: Complete Works (https://www.amazon.ca/Plato-Complete-Works/dp/0872203492/).

The Meetup will take place on Zoom. Please RSVP to access the Zoom link at your Meetup account.

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