30 April 2007

A Philosopher in the Cave

I've spent too much time there and can testify: the place is as wide as it is long; one gets to it from above, by descending through a passageway. Within, it is dark. Men sit stretched out and view flickering images on a wall. Behind them and higher up, where they never look, there is a great and very bright fire, before which men who stay hidden behind a wall make it so that images and likenesses pass by--and these cause the images, as it were shadows, to be cast upon the wall.

And yet, and yet.... occasionally a philosopher will descend to this place. Not only that, but occasionally a philosopher's visit is even scheduled, as for instance this Wednesday evening, at 6pm. Yes, a philosopher is going to speak to those in the cave, not by compulsion but freely.

DAY DATE PROGRAM & TIME TICKETS
MAY
T 1 Special Make Up Screenings!
Casablanca - 8:00, 10:00

Cambridge Center for Adult Education Presents
Galway Kinnell - 6:00
(See description for ticket information)

W 2 Harvard Book Store Presents
Martha Nussbaum - 6:00
(Tickets are $5.00 and are available at Harvard Book Store or by phone with a credit card at 617-661-1515.)

Repertory Series
Recent Raves! - repertory series

Recent Raves!
Comedy of Power - 8:00

Recent Raves!
Zodiac - 10:00


At the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square, one may see Casablanca today and tomorrow, and Martha Nussbaum the day after.

(In know I said I wouldn't post, but this isn't really a post--it's simply fun.)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The philosopher isn't too exciting. But Bogart? Let me clear my schedule....

Anonymous said...

Oh, she's definitely exciting. Whether or not she's right about much at all is a different story. But Martha probably deserves more credit for getting people to peer up out of the cave than most living philosophers do.

Anonymous said...

The analogy between the Cave and the Movie Theater is a good one, except on one point: projection booths in almost all modern movie theaters are automated.

Michael Pakaluk said...

I'm not so sure about the Brattle!

But my "make it so that images ... pass by" was meant to be broad enough to cover automation!