Reflection Paper 13

Plato has impacted modern western education substantially. With his concept of idealism it has influenced us to strive for the truth and embrace new ideas. In striving to find the truth it has lead us to so many amazing discoveries. If we didn’t seek to find truth then we would never have known that we are not the only galaxy out there and that there are other planets besides Earth. Searching for the truth gives us new meaning and increases the chance of more people becoming open-minded. With truth brings understanding. We are able to gain knowledge when we look to seek the truth. When we find the truth we understand what is right and can discern that previous ideas or beliefs were incorrect. Knowing what is incorrect can lead to correcting the problem. Knowledge and information is forever changing because the truth is always reached giving us facts. It is done through being open- minded and not always having the idea that you have to win. We have struggled with the idea of being open-minded for quite some time and especially now with issues such as gay marriage. Even still we have come very far from a few decades ago when things like that were simply unheard of. Plato taught that people would become less materialistic and would embrace new ideas. Again some have taken to this idea and others have not. I think that others have evolved their thinking to at least consider an idea instead of completely rejecting it. For example in schools the theory of evolution is being taught regularly in public schools. Teachers don’t tell their students that it is entirely correct, they tell their students that it is a theory and they can choose whether or not to believe in it. Students aren’t forced to accept that idea but, however, are at least exposed to the theory and can make their own judgments and are expected to be open-minded at the theory. Plato has helped to open up many ways of teaching areas of study and how to interpret them. Learning is no longer based primarily on religion and how religion is the only way of explaining things. It is about truth, the acceptance of ideas, etc.