If Plato's Cave had Wi-Fi and Netflix, would we leave it?

In this conversation with Prof. Mirela Oliva, we consider what it is that a philosopher "does" and the famous Allegory of Plato's Cave. Are we all trapped in this Cave? Under what conditions might we be willing to stay?

We also consider: How can the search for knowledge and wisdom lead to a better life? And what role does humility play in our search? How is knowledge of reality—philosophy broadly understood—the basis of every other enquiry and form of professional knowledge? That is, how is it that we cannot know the part (i.e., our particular discipline or profession) without knowing the whole (i.e., a broad philosophical vision)? And finally, what does it mean to approach a discipline philosophically?  (The last question is of critical importance for all who aspire to be liberally educated.)

Resources to consider:

Plato, Republic

Augustine, On the Trinity

Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Hans-Georg Gadamer, Truth and Method

Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

Robert Nozick, The Examined Life: Philosophical Explanations

Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue

John Martin Fischer, Our Stories: Essays on Life, Death, and Free Will

Films: Truman Show, The Story of Adele. H.