Page 1 of 6 Austin Community College Austin, Texas, USA .docx

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Austin Community College
Austin, Texas, USA
Introduction to Philosophy
Professor Arthur Dechene, PhD
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave
Also called The Myth of the Cave or The Parable of the Cave.
From Book VII of The Republic (360 B.C.E.) Translated by
Oxford professor Benjamin Jowett (1817-93).
Socrates is speaking with Plato’s older brother, Glaucon: 1
And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is
enlightened or unenlightened: Behold! 2
human beings living in an underground cave, which has a mouth
open towards the light and reaching all 3
along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and
have their legs and necks chained so that 4
they cannot move, and can only see before them, being
prevented by the chains from turning round 5
their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a
distance, and between the fire and the prison-6
ers there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low
wall built along the way, like the screen 7
which marionette players have in front of them, over which they
show the puppets. 8

I see. 9
And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all
sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of 10
animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which
appear over the wall? Some of them are 11
talking, others silent. 12
You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange
prisoners. 13
Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows,
or the shadows of one another, which 14
the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave? 15
True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if
they were never allowed to move their 16
heads? 17
And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they
would only see the shadows? 18
Yes, he said. 19
And if they were able to converse with one another, would they
not suppose that they were naming 20
what was actually before them? 21
Very true. 22
And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came
from the other side, would they not be 23
sure to fancy when one of the passersby spoke that the voice
which they heard came from the passing 24
shadow? 25

No question, he replied. 26
To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the
shadows of the images. 27
Page 2 of 6
That is certain. 28
And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the
prisoners are released and disabused of 29
their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and
compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck 30
round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp
pains; the glare will distress him, and he 31
will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he
had seen the shadows; and then con-32
ceive someone saying to him, that what he saw before was an
illusion, but that now, when he is ap-33
proaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more
real existence, he has a clearer vision, 34
what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his
instructor is pointing to the objects as they 35
pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed?
Will he not fancy that the shadows 36
which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now
shown to him? 37
Far truer. 38
And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not
have a pain in his eyes which will make him 39
turn away to take in the objects of vision which he can see, and

which he will conceive to be in reality 40
clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? 41
True, he said. 42
And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a
steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until 43
he's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely
to be pained and irritated? When he ap-44
proaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be
able to see anything at all of what are now 45
called realities. 46
Not all in a moment, he said. 47
He will require time to grow accustomed to the sight of the
upper world. And first he will see the sha-48
dows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the
water, and then the objects themselves; 49
then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and
the spangled heaven; and he will see the 50
sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the
sun by day? 51
Certainly. 52
Last of all he will be able to see the sun, and not mere
reflections of him in the water, but he will see him 53
in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will
contemplate him as he is. 54
Certainly. 55
He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the
seasons and the years, and is the guardian of 56
all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of

all things which he and his fellows have 57
been accustomed to behold? 58
Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason
about him. 59
And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of
the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do 60
you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change,
and pity them? 61
Certainly, he would. 62
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And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among
themselves on those who were quickest to ob-63
serve the passing shadows and to remark which of them went
before, and which followed after, and 64
which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw
conclusions as to the future, do you 65
think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy
the possessors of them? Would he not say 66
with Homer, 67
Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to en-68
dure anything, rather than think as they do and live after 69
their manner? 70
Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than
entertain these false notions and live in 71
this miserable manner. 72
Imagine once more, I said, such a one coming suddenly out of

the sun to be replaced in his old situation; 73
would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness? 74
To be sure, he said. 75
And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring
the shadows with the prisoners who 76
had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak,
and before his eyes had become steady 77
(and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit
of sight might be very considerable) 78
would he not look ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he
went and down he came without his 79
eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and
if any one tried to loose another and 80
lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and
they would put him to death. 81
No question, he said. 82
This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon,
to the previous argument; the prison-83
house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and
you will not misapprehend me if you in-84
terpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the
intellectual world according to my 85
poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether
rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether 86
true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the
idea of good appears last of all, and is 87
seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be
the universal author of all things beauti-88
ful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this
visible world, and the immediate source of 89
reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power
upon which he who would act rationally, 90

either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. 91
Good and Bad Philosophy in Plato’s Cave Story
Some very good points:
x Living in this world is like living in an underground cave in
which you can only see shadows and hear echoes. The
idea of humanity being a dazed mass of confused people comes
from Parmenides, and the idea that they live in
a dim cave and must strive to get free comes from Empedocles
(remember his two principles, love and strife).
x The prisoners are us (line 14).
This Week's Journal Format: The Method
The Method
Use this with a short passage--preferably one that you do not
quite fully understand, or that you know is more complex than
you currently understand
STEP 1: List exact repetitions and the number of each (words,
details). For example, if a form of the word seems repeats three
times, write “seems x 3.” Concentrate on substantive (meaning-
carrying) words. Only in rare cases will words like “and” or
“the” merit attention as a significant repetition. At the most
literal level, whatever repeats is what the thing is about.
STEP 2: List repetitions of the same or similar kind of detail or
word—which we call strands. (for example, the words polite,
courteous, decorous are all words related to manners and
behavior). Be able to explain the strand’s connecting logic with
a label: manners.
STEP 3: List details or words that form or suggest binary
oppositions—pairs of words or details that are opposites—and
select from these the most important ones, which function as

organizing contrasts (for example: open/closed, ugly/beautiful,
global/local, life/death, etc.) Your goal here is not to engage in
either/or thinking but to locate what is at stake in the subject,
find the tensions and issues that the work is trying to resolve.
Many times, the binaries we locate in literature help us to find
places where the binary does not work--and thus the complexity
of the work itself. For example, if a story seems to have clear
distinctions around good characters and bad characters, except
for one character in particular, focusing in on that one character
and trying to explore ideas of "good" and "bad" would be
fruitful. Largely, in literary studies, we try to find places where
patterns do not hold to be very place that draws our attention.
STEP 4: Locate anomalies, exceptions to the pattern, things that
seem not to fit. Once you see an anomaly, you will often find
that it is part of a strand you had not detected (and perhaps one
side of a previously unseen binary).
STEP 5: Choose ONE repetition, strand, or binary as a starting
point for your journal in which you discuss its significance in
relation to the whole. As your write, push yourself to ask "so
what?" to the specific examples you are working with. This
will push you into interpreting the text beyond noticing the
parts. For example: What does it mean that _______ repeats in
this paragraph five times? What meaning does that have in the
specific passage? in the larger chapter or work?
If you run out of things to discuss, turn to another strand to
discuss until you have met the assignment length (step 5 should
be 600-800 words)
Running head: COMPANY DESCRIPTION AND SWOT
ANALYSIS 1
COMPANY DESCRIPTION AND SWOT ANALYSIS 3

Contents
Create your revised NAB company name and explain its
significance2
Revised Mission Statement2
The trends in the non-alcoholic beverage industry2
Strategic position for the beverages2
Overview of company’s distribution channels.2
Types of risks2
SWOT Analysis2
Strengths2
Weakness2
Opportunities2
Threats2
References2
Create your revised NAB company name and explain its
significance
The name of my company is Sidiana Wines Ltd. The importance
of the beverage offered my company is the exquisite tastes and/
or flavors that cannot be found in any other wine. It also serves
those individuals that no longer indulge themselves in
beverages that contain high alcohol content. The major products
produced and distributed by the company will be red and white
wines. The main market for the company’s products will be
clubs, restaurants, and lounges. Revised Mission Statement

Revised Mission Statement: Provide the best authentic and
inviting wines in the market for healthy lifestyles.
At Sidiana Wines Ltd. Co, our mission is to link up with other
people, mostly those individuals that are serious about living an
organic lifestyle, consuming foods that are produced
organically, and stay away from foods that are genetically
produced and modified, take care of their bodies by exercising
regularly, and love nature.
A lot of healthy people normally consume a glass of wine after
their meals. This has been researched and found to be very
healthy (Nordqvist, 2016). Moreover, medical researchers
recommend people to drink about a glass of wine after their
meals (Edwards, 2013).
At Sidiana Wines Ltd, our man desire is for people to
understand and apprehend that they can now have the best and
the most acclaimed organic wines. We would like to encourage
most of them to look for and drink wines that are processed
from organic grapes that are certified by regulatory bodies,
scientists and medical researchers. Such wines should be bottled
at the source. They should have logos or certification marks
from certification agencies.
The company aims to seek for the best high quality products in
the market, which will enhance the enjoyment of the company’s
products. The company also aims to maintain a high level of
professionalism in producing and selling the wines. The trends
in the non-alcoholic beverage industry
The use of non-alcoholic drinks is increasingly becoming
popular worldwide. This is due to the fact that many people are
becoming health conscious and decide to take healthy decisions
on what they consume (Bailey, 2014). Many, especially
alcoholic individuals, are becoming aware of the potential
dangers of alcohol consumption. They are also indirectly
influenced by the worldwide campaign against alcohol
consumption. Wines do not leave hangovers as alcoholic
beverages do. Therefore, the choice of wine as the product to be
produced was also influenced by this.

Strategic position for the beverages
The most suitable strategy for the product offered by Sidiana
Wines Ltd is the differentiation strategy. By using this strategy,
the products produced by the company will be distinct from
other products in the market. This strategy will be backed up by
the wide selection of authentic and exquisite flavors offered by
the wines, and the unique and attractive bottling and packaging
of the products.
Overview of company’s distribution channels.
Products from Sidiana Wines Ltd will be distributed to
consumers and customers through the direct-store-delivery
channel. This direct-store-delivery will be operated by the
company’s bottlers and distributors. They will deliver the
beverages directly to beverage retail stores. At the retail stores,
the products will be merchandised by Sidiana Wines Ltd
bottlers and employees. This distribution channel helps the
company to carry out trade with maximum visibility and appeal
to the consumers and customers. This distribution channel tends
to work well for companies that have products that are mostly
often restocked (Wulfraat, 2016). Moreover, the distribution
method tends to promote in-house or in-store promotion and
merchandising. Types of risks
The first risk that the company might face is legal constraints.
This risk may limit the number of opportunities for the company
to indulge in innovation in sales. This risk has a very high
impact on the business. The company will mitigate this risk by
ensuring that they abide by all the legal requirements put in
place on the producing and distribution of wines in the market,
this is on both local and international markets.
Another risk that may face Sidiana Wines Ltd is the risk of
failing to get enough farm produce during the low farming
seasons. This risk is very crucial and should be taken into
consideration as the farming industry has its lows and downs.
Adverse weather conditions can affect the growth of the plants.
To mitigate this, the company will have various raw materials
suppliers. Moreover, the company will also secure a land where

they can put up a greenhouse that will be used to plant all
seasonal wine fruits to ensure that the company does not lack
supplies to produce their products.
The third risk that the company can face is unfair competition.
This means that the company faces competitors that will copy
their products. To avoid this, the company will have to patent
its formulas that they use to come up with their products.
Patenting of Sidiana Wines Ltd beverage drinks will provide
leverage for them if ever they face unfair competitive strategies
from other companies.SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Sidiana Wines Ltd has great financial stability. This allows the
firm to meet its costs and maintain their brand in the market.
The authentic and unique products that the company produces
incur lots of profit for the company. Moreover, the company has
various funders.Weakness
The company’s weakness is that not all the products it produces
are well known. Most of them lack popularity. This weakness
should be checked. The company can advertise such products
more. Opportunities
The company has the opportunity of advertising its products
well to the market. The market will get to know most of its
products more. This will in turn generate more profits for the
company. Threats
The company faces the threat of unfair competition from other
competitors in the market. Such unfair competition includes
unfair copying of the product mixes and flavors.
References
Bailey, S. (2014, November 20). A guide to the non-alcoholic
beverage industry. Retrieved from
http://marketrealist.com/2014/11/guide-non-alcoholic-beverage-
industry/
Edwards, T. (2013, November 23). Alcohol is good for your
health: Leading science writer claims tipple can prevent cancer
and may help improve your sex life. Retrieved from
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2512175/Alcohol-

good-health-Leading-science-writer-claims-tipple-prevent-
cancer-help-improve-sex-life.html
Nordqvist, C. (2016, April 7). Wine: Health Benefits and Health
Risks. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265635.php
Wulfraat, M. (2016). Direct Store Delivery Versus Centralized
Distribution. Retrieved from
http://www.mwpvl.com/html/dsd__vs_central_distribution.html

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