Plato's Allegory of the Cave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plato's Allegory of the Cave - Essay Example He expresses a point unknown and less considered by many, that a philosopher could be zero in knowledge. Through the puzzle, the victim of such circumstances only discovers of such truths after a long time. Exposure, which happens to be less in the profession, uncovers such truths hence making it a puzzle that majority of the philosophers are ignorant and hide behind the veil of ignorance. The claim that Socrates makes to be the wisest of all and later declares his ignorance as every other philosopher therefore makes the riddle. Socrates happens to come out as one of the wisest philosophers. By denouncing the level at which philosophers are placed in the society, he tried to connect with what is considered as the real world. He comes out as one who is certain of the shortcomings in his world that other philosophers have not discovered. By saying ‘I know that I do not know’, he comes out as a wise philosopher who knows he does not know everything. He brings out an aspect of acceptance that one can never be self-sufficient. Regardless of how much one is perceived by others to be sufficient, a gap in everybody can only be discovered through exposure. This is the opposite of what the world thinks of philosophers. It is also the opposite of what philosophers think of themselves. To many of them, their small professional world gives them confidence as all knowing. Majority do not acknowledge their struggles as part of a problem emanating from ignorance. To them, the struggles are just part of the process. Allegory of the Cave is a dialogue between Plato’s teacher, Socrates and Plato’s brother. Socrates, who is the main narrator, brings out a dark, congested world inhabited by people in a particular class of wisdom. In that small world symbolized by a cave, there is commonality of knowledge since all are pinned to the same wall. They face the same issues and none of them feels free to explore the outside world even when freedom is declared. The Allegory is given in a setting of a prison where prisoners are put in an underground cave. The cave receives limited light that makes it hard for each one of them to see anything that happens behind them. All they know are their own shadows and those of people passing behind them. Their manner of communication and the things they talk to each other relates to what they share in common. Their discussions are tied around what is common to them and any attempt to release them will not be easy for them. Select one incident from Plato’s Allegory of the Cave that best serves to illustrate the meaning of this statement. According to the allegory, the prisoner disabused of his error and liberation to walk around represents Socrates. Due to the conditions he has been in before, the prisoner is likely to suffer so many things. Part of the problems will be facing the light that has been rare in the former state. Any exposure to the light will be so disturbing but a positive step tow ards discovering the reality outside the prison. The exposure will be the start of getting wisdom as he tries to define different things around him. For example in the Allegory, giving seasons and the years will be a demonstration of newly found wisdom that never existed in the former state. The incident brings out a realization of the real world where fantasies do not apply. Facing realities makes one realize how much they do not know even after being higher in knowledge as per fellow people. To Socrates, getting

Marks and Spencers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marks and Spencers - Case Study Example For this, using a cultural web on the floor is important. Michael E Porter has paved the way for revolutionary strategising trends and a whole new perspective on competition through his competitive advantage theory. In the corporate world, Porter's first book Competitive Strategy (1980), which he wrote in his thirties, became an international best seller, and is considered to be an authoritative piece of work on corporate strategy. The book, which has been published in nineteen languages and re-printed approaching sixty times, changed the way business leaders' minds worked. Further, it remains a guide of choice for strategic managers on a global scale. Apart from being rich in lessons about why and how industries, regions, and nations succeed or fail, this book is of great value as the first serious attempt to develop a really original grand theory of national economic development processes since the early years of Postwar development economics, and one of the most original ways of thinking about development policy in years. Under the leadership of Rose, the company had seen growth in Food, clothing and other departs by April 2006. Before laying down the formal plan of action, it is necessary to understand the elements that will be involved in the strategy that has been by Rose, from the perspective of the company. This will help us understand the exact application of the theories through the length and breadth of the paper. A major part of Rose's plan of action must include following a strategy based on gaining competitive advantage as well as achieving sustainable entrepreneurial growth. Let us first examine competitive advantage to see how and where it will fit in with the overall growth and expansion of M & S. External Perspective Competitive advantage is the response of afirm to the pressing need to organize and perform discrete activities. While these needs may not be perpetually spelt out, it is the responsibility of the planners and executers of policies to foresee such situations when catering for growth and development of the firm on various levels. The basic explanation for this comes from the fact that any change on an individual level is effected by changes on a national level. Yet, Porter's theory cannot accommodate strategies and competitiveness at such levels due to various constraints. The first of these emerges from the fact that people run businesses and economies - and everyone has his or her own unique style. These cannot be covered at length when talking which factors and resources will be utilized in which combination. Thus Porter's theory does not provide an accurate account of the diversity and dynamism in the corporate and commercial environment that businesses and firms thrive in. Secondly, there are various activities to take into consideration in the case of M&S. The activities performed when competing in a particular industry can be grouped into