Thinking Outside the Box....

Create a post for your blog entitled "Thinking Outside the Box" in which you compare how Plato & Sartre describe the limitations of our thinking and imply solutions to the problem.

Plato saw people being restrained by other people. He saw the limitations of people, and the existence of a higher authority among the people through his discussion of government. Plato understood that people place limits on others and their quest for truth and knowledge. He saw that actions taken by the leadership affected those they ruled. Those kept in the cave were affected my the decisions of their captors to let only some be exposed to the truth and light that existed outside the cave. We too are kept from things, whether in childhood, or later in life, not everyone is exposed to the full degree of truth. Some may be allowed to see beyond the walls, but then comes the question, do we believe them? Are they our leaders?  Or do we think they're crazy for one reason or another?

Sartre wrote about the limitations that people inflicted on thermselves. Everyone in Sartre's story of "No Exit" was in the same condition as the people they were surrounded by. None could use a mirror, none could sleep, eat, brush their teeth, or even blink. The three people knew the truth of their situations, and of the actions that had landed them in their locations, but still refused to believe the truth that was proven to them. They could not leave the room. They could not ring the bell. They were stuck in their state. Living in Hell with other people and miserable because of their own selfishness, and mistakes. The Hell was not created for them , there was no one sent to make the residents more miserable than they already were. Through this, Sartre seems to be suggesting that Hell is a creation of those who can't possibly learn to deal with their surroundings, and for those who refuse to be content with what they are given in life, or death. The prisoners in Sartre's story were only put in a room. They may have been put there with other people, but their own worst nightmares became a reality only after they decided they were in Hell. In this, it seems to show that happiness is a choice. Little do we think that so too is Hell.

Both show captivity of people, and both have truthes for their players to realize. They both offer a commentary on life, while offering completely different ideas as to why those held prisoner remain there.