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catlowe65.bsky.social
@catlowe65.bsky.social

I read Plato’s Republic in high school and I majored in Political Science (read tons of political philosophers) and English in college. Understanding Plato led me to see how authors allude to his ideas, particularly from the Allegory of the Cave. This banning of it aims to stifle critical thinking.

Support CAF
@yknot05.bsky.social

I was unfamiliar w Cave Allegory. Now read overview. THIS IS N AMERICA NOW! Little time outside individual narrow daily habits of work/home. 2025 'cave wall' is sitting ourselves in front of dumbed down TV/media 'shadows' projected to us We don't actively seek options other than shadows shown to us

Dave Medley
@davemedley.bsky.social

Do Americans think censorship is a European issue?! In England we read frequently in the media about how American schools and libraries since Trump became president are apparently banning books with gender/racial/sexuality equality themes. We don’t have that oppression. 🤔

The Air Whisperer
@pneumofoils.bsky.social

That wasn't directly explained in the prohibiting document - but it seems likely to revolve around his famous argument that homosexual interaction between men, particularly soldiers, can positively affect morale. (It wasn't a 'universal belief' at the time, as some assume; see 'the Theban Band'...)

Support CAF
@yknot05.bsky.social

🤷 Out of the hundreds of millions of North Americans, how many students will read/study Plato? I know no one in my circles talking about it in my 75 years. So why ban Plato? Seems there's a Streisand effect about to be unleashed here. Banning stuff = "What don't they want us to know about?"

scoutmoondiver.bsky.social
@scoutmoondiver.bsky.social

Greg Abbott has threatened state takeover of the elections in Harris County (Houston). He can’t stand it that the Houston area consistently votes Democratic. One in six Texans live in Harris County and he’s running for reelection this November.

Amanda
@amandagillender.bsky.social

I have now. So it's 'because his writings discuss questions about love, gender, & human identity.' That sums up the subject matter of most European literature. Is that going to be censored too? It seems to me that the Texans don't trust the validity of their own philosophy if they must ban Plato.

fauxrrari1.bsky.social
@fauxrrari1.bsky.social

The rightwingnutjobs are steadily eroding the US' capacity to think, to question, and thus to be a competitive workforce, at any level. Expect production and new plant/business growth to drop off accordingly. Less education = less appealing as prospective employees. It IS that simple.

DemoDirge by Brian M. Ross
@demodirge.bsky.social

Even more ridiculous considering that fascists are using Plato‘s words about democracy being unattainable because the people are generally stupid and don’t have the sense to vote as some sort of mantra for why we should have fascism now.

Luc-Mtl
@luc-mtl.bsky.social

This is weirder than bizarre... Plato was actually anything but a democrat, he was an elitist philosopher opposed to popular democracy.

Luc-Mtl
@luc-mtl.bsky.social

He had some interesting ideas and produced some good-sounding "wisdom nuggets", but his philosophy was detached from reality on purpose, literally, and fell out of relevancy century ago.

Luc-Mtl
@luc-mtl.bsky.social

People often think of the cave analogy has something that can be applied today but it's not. It was an attempt to explain that in his view, nothing exist in the real world, everything is only an illusory shadow of abstract ideas located somewhere in a "superior plane of existence". Weird stuff.

Luc-Mtl
@luc-mtl.bsky.social

But still, to his defense, Plato was living in ancient Greece in the fourth century BC. What is even far weirder is that Republicans in the United States of America in the 21th century would make an obsession with the largely forgotten philosophy of Plato, to the point of banning it from schools.

MRKD26
@mrkd26.bsky.social

Agree! (google translator is a wonderful thing) and also worth noting the famous picture of the first Nazi book burning in 1933 was of books from the Berlin Institute of Sexology, they was performing ground breaking trans gender research.

ellinahandbasket.bsky.social
@ellinahandbasket.bsky.social

It is so wonderful being able to speak with people when we don't necessarily share a language! I'm embarrassed that I did not know about the Nazis actions towards the Institute of sexology until about a year or so ago.... I guess it got swept under the rug what with all the nasty crap they did...😢

MRKD26
@mrkd26.bsky.social

Christine just blocked me. 😂 She disapproved of me adding the Nazi book burnings to the discussion ....because .. you guessed it... "Transgender women are just transvestite men". What a 🤡, and this is why the transgender community does trust the rest of us.

The Liberator 🦋
@drnancysp.bsky.social

They executed many sexologists too. 🤬 It’s a frightening time to be an American! The tipping point is here!! What will we do? Repeat devastating history or RESIST & FIGHT LIKE HELL AGAINST THIS TYRANNICAL REGIME?

DocEv1l
@docev1l.bsky.social

Durch Licht Zur Nacht. Also sprach Dr. Goebbels: Lasst uns aufs neue Brände entfachen, auf dass die Verblendeten nicht erwachen! (John Heartfield)

Sid
@sidiciousbehavior.bsky.social

Every time the mindlessly hateful alt-right zealots ban something/someone, that work winds up in my cart on one of my favorite used book sites. My personal library is growing faster than I can read. Sometimes, I buy two copies and put one in the little library in my neighborhood.

Jennifer
@jew-c.bsky.social

Asinine, especially because it is definitely available for free online. But it’s also strange because the charter Christian nationalist school here says it is doing “classical education” and that’s their front for indoctrinating kids.

barbpoipu.bsky.social
@barbpoipu.bsky.social

Went to a Dominican high school. The Great Books were required reading. Really, we’re going to ban the world’s knowledge???😳😱😳😱😡 I really don’t like this simulation option. We need a reboot, now!

Jason Cobley
@jmcobleyauthor.bsky.social

Nobody says that censorship is European problem. Absolutely nobody. You’ve made that up. Only the USA randomly ‘bans’ books. (And they’re not banned - you can still buy them. The USA invented Amazon after all) ONLY the USA polices what people can read.

sister_sam
@privacy-nut.bsky.social

What is even more absurd is that Plato, like his culture, was highly misogynistic and believed in hard sex binary dimorphism. The censors are generally censoring from the same perspective.

sister_sam
@privacy-nut.bsky.social

What the bloody hell? This is enough and more than enough. Remove all the censors. Remove the power of government to censor in its entirety regardless of which party is in power.

Marie In Atlanta
@marie-atl.bsky.social

I read the linked article. While the ban is cloaked in "gender" something-or-other, it's really keeping students from learning to question and prove an assertion. They want a population that cannot dissect a concept to determine what is/isn't true.

flyflicker.bsky.social
@flyflicker.bsky.social

That's a bit strange. Plato was no fan of democracy (like all Republicans). He said it would lead to tyranny. Oh. Wait. Now I understand. Warnings of tyranny would NOT appeal to the Trump Regime. 😉

JoB!🇪🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼🇻🇳🇲🇾🇦🇺
@amamazed.bsky.social

🤨🤨🤨🤔🤔🤔😪😪😪 In a world gone crazy, this is probably the saddest thing I have heard in a long time... So while Kennedy drives American health care and science back to the dark ages,,, the administration is doing yhe same to education... THIS is the ultimate in dumbing down, and makes me incredibly sad.

emoontxwriter
@emoontxwriter.bsky.social

Texas A&M doing that? What the ...!!! I may have to reconsider where my papers go (was set up for stuff to go there but if they're going to ban classics out of some ignoramus's bigotry I don't want that sort of person haggling at my work!)

rollingbones.bsky.social
@rollingbones.bsky.social

Well, yeah Boy, you know that PLATO Stuff. Next thing you know, boys would want to be going commando while wearing togas. Next thing you know, boys would want to be going loose and wild in the fresh air wearing kilts, if you catch my drift.

Nick Idler
@nickidler.bsky.social

"Democracy comes into being after the poor have conquered their opponents," – Plato I'm sure it wasn't quotes like this that drove Republicans to ban one of the world's most influential minds.

One Who Knows
@onewhoknows2.bsky.social

And here’s the clincher, the works of Plato, specifically the ‘rule of reason’ and the idea of a republic come from Plato, his works along with several other classic works & ideals were used to construct the United States Constitution

Little Richardjohn
@littlerichardjohn.bsky.social

Because they're asleep. Unconscious of the fact they are being conned. Because haven't 'WOKE' up. It's another very stupid, meaningless word to invent, as is most SM baby-talk. Bin them all. But since it blatantly says 'WAKE UP' with every letter, that is the only meaning it can have.

Quadeus
@quadeus.bsky.social

An educated populace is the biggest threat to a dictatorial government. They want us stupid, sick, and scared. Fight them at every school board meeting, at every city council meeting, everywhere! Fight like our very lives and liberty were at stake, because they are.

A.S. Jones
@apeshitjones.bsky.social

Point 1: Not to play devil's advocate, but a literal reading of Republic might support quite a bit of censorship in training the protector class. Point 2: What got censored here...all the shit about Socrates liking beautiful young men? Lololololol.

Old Man with a Dog
@tucamels.bsky.social

Actually Texas A&M did well when you think about it! They needed to do something to keep the money coming in and satisfy the regulators. They did something SO over-the-top outrageous and silly it pointed to the idiocy of the policy! Well played A&M!

Napoleon Solo
@napoleonsolo11.bsky.social

Wait, are you serious? Plato?! The flaming dumpster fire, commonly known as the trump admin, wants everyone living in caves again! When are the cynical, spineless GOP going to learn that money isn't everything. Especially if they're living in a world run by an 🍊führer that can take it all away!

Susannah R
@susannahredelfs.bsky.social

They want to keep their children indoctrinated into their narrow, withered, soul-shriveling interpretation of Christianity. If they let the kiddies read Plato they might realize how much of the New Testament was clearly written by Neoplatonists.

Gary G
@mentorminute.bsky.social

Public schools are run by an entity. I suppose if you really want to read a book you would buy it or go to a local library. Parents can lead their children to books that they see as beneficial.