The truman show response Essays - Articles, Philosophy,

In the movie "The Truman Show", the main character Truman is living a life in which all of his experiences are simulated. Truman un knowingly lives on a TV set where everything is set up, but he believes that he lives in the real world . This resembles what the prisoners went through in "The Myth of the Cave" , when they were stuck in chains and could only see the shadows on the wall . Truman' s reality is staged for him by the directors of the show , j ust like how the prisoner's reality is made up by the people creating the shadows. Both Truman and the prisoners are presented with a reality, and they have no reason not to believe in this theatrical world. They are fooled into believing things that are untrue. The prisoners identified shadows with things that they are not. Also, everything in Truman's life was made up such as his job, where he lived, his friends, his family, and his relationships . The people narrating these false realities have the power to alter the mind of the people they are fooling. The narrators can make them believe in whatever they want them to , allowing the narrators to create an entire alternate reality. One quality of the ideal state is the idea of wisdom. Being wise requires knowledge of self-discipline by using reason. The wise people in the ideal state are outnumbered, but they naturally prudent, so they are the governors. This is similar to how man's soul is ruled by wisdom and reason. The second quality is Courage. To be courageous one must be able to persevere through tough and fearful situations. Also, one must withstand the training and follow the teaching created by the law. The third quality of Plato's ideal state is temperance. Plato begins by describing temperance as a sense of control that man has over the indulgences in life. A person governs their own soul, and it is solely up to that person to make the right decisions. A person's soul works similar to the ideal state, they both are responsible for leading themselves through good and bad. Aristotle recognizes four causes, material cause, Formal cause, efficient cause, and final cause. These causes must be acknowledged in order to acquire the correct knowledge of whatever object is being studied. The first of the four causes, material cause, is the first source of information you can get from the object. It defines the material out of which the object is made, literally what substances make up the object. The second cause respectively, describes the shape or design of the object. It depicts exactly what the object is trying to portray. The efficient cause is by whom was the object was made. This cause represents who the creator is and states that the creator is the sole reason this object exists. The last of the four causes is the final cause, which speaks to show the magnificence of the object as a whole. This cause is the reason for the objects existence, to be admired. I agree that there is a connection between happiness and virtue, I believe that one cannot be truly happy without living a somewhat virtuous life. Aristotle uses a great analogy with plants, describing how in order for a plant to flourish, it's internal functions must follow a natural state. This correlates to humans, by demonstrating that if we do not follow our righteous human nature, then we cannot flourish and grow into happy human beings. Having virtue also requires a decent upbringing, in which one is taught how to be respectful, and to not partake in shameful behavior. This is essential because everyone has natural inborn desires that can lead us astray from good nature. Choosing to give into these desires might bring someone a short-term happiness, but eventually the happiness this person feels will fade. Aristotle depicts which goods are necessary for happiness in someone's life, and which are unnecessary and solely trappings. Things such as good health and life ar e necessary, but other things such as wealth, friends, and fame are just add-ons. The only real happiness someone can achieve requires an honorable