Austin Fontaine 
Megan Novelli Kind of tying in to the Allegory of the Cave, more particularly about how those still in the cave were willing to kill the ones that had broken free and tried to show them the world outside, I feel that’s a concept that might apply to us, even today. In the same way that people still enslaved in the cave were so threatened by the idea of something so different or foreign from what they had become so accustomed to, you could say we as people tend to react when question on issues that are close to us, such as religion and politics. As far as I know, there isn’t much in competition when it comes to subjects that tend to rile people up, and for good reason when you consider how close to their identity those values usually lie. So when something that significant is questioned, it doesn’t really surprise us when people respond that aggressively, or when we respond in a similar manner ourselves.
I guess you could think of it as, we’re the ones in the cave with a fixed mind to what we believe is the reality, and when someone comes along to question them, while we don’t exactly jump to the idea of killing them, it seems there is some similarity in the intensity of the reaction.
If you wanted to draw this out to an extreme, you might even say terrorist extremist are providing an excellent example of killing people who challenge what you believe to be the indisputable truth. Though, again, that might be a rather extreme example, and the similarity lies in the reaction, not necessarily in the principle being questioned.
Jordan Johnson
2:13 pm, 08.31.10
I find your point to ring true in my own ears as i myself have looked harshly into other peoples caves. What i really like is the use of the word different or foreign to describe the provocative ideas that gets people going. Because the ideas that usually infuriate us are the ones that are contradictory to us and in no way actually threaten our own views other than internally. Meaning that the other person isn’t really saying you can’t have your ideas, but for some reason internally that is the battle that starts, whether our idea is correct or not. Anyway enjoyed reading your stuff thanks!
Jordan Johnson
Bradley Campbell
4:53 pm, 08.31.10
This is a really interesting idea from your post and from Jordan’s comment….I always looked at the cave as if I was the person who broke loose and was enlightened……but I never thought of the cave as possessive. Like I have my own personal cave that I would lash out at intruders for trying to tear down. Good post
Josh Morrison
8:06 pm, 08.31.10
You make an excellent point that we’re all too often prone to react without much self-control when our beliefs are questioned. I think this propensity betrays a lot of insecurity in our beliefs. If we were really as certain as we want people to believe would we feel like we had to react that way? Probably not. I think the solution to the problem is to come to terms with the fact that there are as many different beliefs in the world as there are people. I don’t mean just to recognize that as true, but to really come to terms with it and accept it as probably unalterable. It also wouldn’t hurt to add a healthy dose of doubt to our own beliefs and then be able to admit that when they’re questioned.
Danielle Urias
4:18 pm, 09.05.10
I like the fact that you brought up terrorist extremists. I’ve been pondering my own views on relativism and the idea that different people can have very different beliefs, which in turn, may create an only partially informed reason to get rid of ideas one does not agree with.
When I was a little girl I used to ask my dad how he knew if what WE believed was right. It felt like so many people thought the same thing, they were right…how could we ever know what we should truly believe? Although I wasn’t prepared at the time to comprehend a Descarte answer my dad tried something to that effect and my mind wandered to my next question, most likely having to do with ice cream or barbie dolls.
I agree with Josh on this one and believe the key lies in being able to earnestly practice self-examination. Humility is being able to say, “I may be wrong,” and if true humility was employed, you’re right, maybe people would be able to react to challenges and questioning with more self-control. Thanks Michael! Very stimulating stuff!
Michelle Nix
10:48 pm, 09.05.10
At first, I feel that our immediate reaction is to claim that we would never kill let alone scoff or judge someone for what they believe. However, I whole-heartedly agree that to some degree we are the people stuck in the cave with a closed mind. For example, I am ashamed to say that I have caught myself judging others for their ideas. I will sit and criticize the beliefs and opinions of others without even saying a word. I know that I did not go as far as killing someone who disagreed with me, but would I not be just as wrong? Who I am to be the judge of what is right or wrong? Who am I to judge what is truth and what is reality? I hate to think that I am ignorant and inflexible, but I know that there are times when I am that way. I agree that we are the ones that are chained in the cave with a possible way out, yet we are unwilling to take it because of the threat of something different. Even if the idea is something we believe is false, we need to eliminate the judgmental thoughts, words, or actions. I know that is something I definitely need to work on to be a better person and allow myself to break free from close-mindedness.
Jason Herrington
12:17 am, 09.06.10
I think that you have brought an important matter to our attention and think that it is one that should not be taken lightly. I think that we do indeed tend to stick to our own caves and strike out to those that bring anything that is different than out own. I think that if we truly believe in something that we will educate ourselves and know enough about it to defend it against any outside threat.
I have always held firm to what I believed in while doing my best to consider the words of other people. While I find that it is sometimes hard to defend my beliefs to the arguments of others it is important that we do not create a gap so deep that we are so closed minded that no one may see truth in the things that we believe in. Thanks for the reminder.
Stephanie Bell
1:26 pm, 09.06.10
I agree that the allegory does still apply. I have seen a lot of people at ACU who are willing to argue for hours about something that they believe because it is what was taught to them. I think as humans it is hard for us to accept change. We want to think that we know best and that our views are based on some sort of facts, so when someone challenges our views we often want evidence that their facts are more reliable.