Folium: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave … and Languages!

Folium: Plato's Allegory of the Cave ... and Languages!

Folium: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave … and Languages!

Folium: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave … and Languages!

This one requires some explanation… Please stick with us here. Read this first.

Allegory of the Cave – http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm

So. How did that go?

Here’s a YouTube video that may help clear things up!

Here it is in a nutshell. We think that we know about things in life. However, there’s a pretty good shot that what we think we know is just a construct of the things that we have learned so far, or are able to grasp so far.

We don’t know what we don’t know … Or, our knowledge is swiss cheese!

So … how does language play a part in this? Remember that language isn’t just a bunch of random words … It’s a system of signs, symbols, and sounds that are agreed upon by a culture to express the things that are important to them. Do native amazonian tribes have a word for snow? Probably not, since they have never seen it or have a need to describe it!

Learning languages help us learn about people. When we adopt a new way to talk about the world we also adopt a new way to see the world! And when we accept a new way of seeing the world, opportunities in this world will follow.

Those who want to work, play, and live in the world must first know the world! Don’t be happy staring at shadows on the wall. So get to it! Get up out of that chair and see what’s causing those shadows!

Michael Van Etten
LEAF Architect

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