Sleeper Awake

Socrates argued, once upon a time, that what we see are but shadows of reality, where the essence of all things dwell. Everything in matter is but a reflection, a shadow of this perfect, absolute form, and when in this reality it is but a weak imitation that may be graced with forever striving to fulfill its 'true nature'. Socrates suggested that this higher reality was the true one, and all else but a crude imitation.
Those striving for this truth all their lives, diligently exercising their nature predilection for such endeavors, would make the best, most good leaders in the best most good states. The concerned, caring, quintessential alpha-person; the philosopher.

The philosopher is a never ending inquiry into the nature of good, seeking the most right reasoned knowledge, beyond hypotheses. Known. Absolutely known. This questing requires an excellent body cultured by the best education in music and gymnastic, where these excellencies are nurtured in those who bear most promise; there is natural superiority in men, but relative equality of treatment. There shall be no ownership of items, no superiority in pay between differently dutied-folk. There is no possession over lovers as all are held in kind; there is no lineage with all children assigned parentage based on birth-month and a correspondence system with another adult. A common pool, they are all each others fathers, and all each others sons.

This society is divided into crude bronze for the laboring artisans; a silver for the auxiliary security forces, the guard dogs of the state known for their fierce courage and duty towards the laws given by the state; and gold quality people, the philosophically oriented ruling class - the most precious metal. This caste system is maintained, but not so rigidly as to prevent upward mobility for those bronze or silver who occasionally prove to be gold. It doesn't prevent the downgrading of a gold to another class either. But still, these are the rulers, over all chattel and slave...

Its an interesting parable, and it gradually unfolds as the writings/readings that are informing this continue, yet I can't help but wonder; I'm gold, right? Like, untarnished, pure gleaming gold?

Ha, jokes - I wanted a blog post and ended up writing about Philosophy. Whatever does that mean? Plato on the brain!

I like that there is such a huge emphasis on social construction, where what one does is because it is at the apex of society. The cultivation found in such a specific regimen of 'absolute-seeking' activity, the curriculum of musics and literatures and religious-praise and physical activity, the designation of the economic system and child-rearing - all of this needs to come before we start to achieve peak philosophy, before the 'alpha-persons' are fully capable of coming into fruition.

Socrates/Plato recognize (or do they?) the importance of the proper social architecture in the facilitation of epistemological development. It is essential that society perform in a certain way in order to seek to be more than just shadows on the wall. Or does it?