CIE100: Common Intellectual Experience - Allegory of the Cave Writing Prompt (10 Points)

Assignment Goals

The goals of this assignment are:
  1. To reflect upon the course texts in preparation for thoughtful discussion
  2. To organize thoughts into a concise and cohesive response to a targeted question
  3. To consider multiple viewpoints about ideas

The Assignment

Please read the questions below and answer them in a 1-2 paragraph analytic response. Say what you actually think about the topic, and back it up with at least one quote from the text. Pick that quote carefully, because you want the passage whose particular words matter, not just one that happens to mention your subject. Submit your response through Canvas before the start of class.

For the first few weeks I’m asking only for a claim and a quote to support it. Starting with the Islamic Mystic Poetry response, I’ll also ask you to take on a counterargument, and we’ll practice that move together in class first, in the Counterargument and Concession workshop.

A note on format: the analytic response is the default here, but you may use any of the five response genres instead (analytic, letter, dialogue, marginalia+aphorism, or the Four A’s), as long as you still give me a claim and a quote.

If the reading itself is what’s giving you trouble, please start with How to Read Hard Texts in CIE.

Writing Prompt

  1. Plato describes prisoners who mistake shadows for reality, and a freed prisoner whose eyes ache in the light of the sun. In your own words, what do the chains, the shadows, the fire, and the ascent each represent? Why do you think the freed prisoner returns to the cave, and what reception does Plato predict?

  2. Consider the personalized feeds you scroll every day. In what ways might recommendation algorithms project shadows on your wall, and who are the puppeteers carrying objects in front of the fire? Is leaving this cave possible today, and would you actually want to? Bring one concrete example from your own feed (a recommended video, a trend, an ad) that you are prepared to discuss.

Submission

Please submit a word processed or PDF document.

Please refer to the Style Guide for code quality examples and guidelines.