Polityka a metafora
Politics and metaphor

A philosopher in the cave of shadows

Author(s): Zbigniew Stawrowski
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Political Theory, Political Sciences, Security and defense
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: politics; philosophy; Plato; idea; metaphor
Summary/Abstract: The question of a rational attitude to the world of politics has been with us since the ancient beginnings of philosophy and makes us reflect today. Is the philosopher’s view of the political reality more penetrating, and is his judgment more balanced than the views of ordinary people? It is worth looking at one of the first answers to this question – a metaphorical answer which, due to the complex and labile nature of the political matter, not so much solves the issue but instead gives food for thought and invites thinking. Starting from the image of the cave outlined by Plato in Book 7 of his Politeia, this text tries to shed some light on the role and fate of the philosopher engaged in political thinking.

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