Knowledge and Intelligence

by Emma Smolik

The major idea that I took away from this unit was actually the last point we talked about in the lecture. Plato’s belief that knowledge is separated from intelligence by the power found within a person's soul. “The art of turning around”, or putting effort into truth finding rather than accepting what is in front of you, is what separates the intelligent from the knowledgeable. The example of the man in a cave really resonated deeply with me. This man that has only known a drawing his whole life is finally exposed to the real thing, goes back into the cave and is killed because his discovery challenges the idea that the cave people have known their whole lives (On a side note, the movie “The Croods” is an example of stubborn people being against new ideas and finally turning around to see the truth at the end). Even as a metaphor, this story, this idea applies so heavily to the average current mindset. 

I can even apply this idea on a more personal level this week. My family has been struggling with a decision to uproot the family. While this scenario can seem more complicated, a bigger part of it is letting go of the emotional connection to the past. Just a quick back story to fully explain. As a college student I have pretty much “left the nest”, except for when a pandemic traps me at home. My younger brother is graduating this year and my younger sister is starting highschool. We live in a town of 1,000 people, but live on a lake so our area is a summer vacation hotspot, as far as hotspots go in Nebraska. Because the pandemic has become a political debate my town denies the virus’s severity and is opening our school and sports with no restrictions. Two other schools have already reported incidents of cheerleading and football members having the virus, but decide a two week quarantine is enough before letting them participate again and other schools are okay with that. 

My family on the other hand has been trying to be extremely careful. Both of my parents are high risk. Because we need to protect my parents, my siblings are uncomfortable going to school in the town that we grew up in and love. This town is all we have ever known. I was turned towards the light when I left as a sophomore to study abroad. While my family was happy to hear the stories, they themselves did not want to leave even though my parents have talked about being unhappy in our town for a long time. With current events however, my family is considering moving to a safer city that follows safer guidelines. This new city is equidistant from my mom’s workplace and an hour closer to my father's workplace. The only connection keeping us in our original town is memories. My siblings want to go to a new school. In a way, my family is having to continuously look into the light and choose to recognize the reality. We have been facing forward in our living situation for so long, that change seemed impossible only because we were not embracing it. While this example may not be the first thing that comes to mind when considering the meaning of Plato’s idea, it really helped me understand why this decision was so difficult for my family. It also helped me realize why people can be so stubborn in their beliefs in general. It is easier to continue facing what we have always known than it is to turn around and not only see, but accept a new idea.