A few days ago we were very struck by a Facebook post in which the journalist and writer Corrado Augias told the story of his philosophy teacher who, on the first day of class, upon entering class asked his students: <<What’s the point of studying? >>. After listening to the guys’ uncertain attempts to respond, he surprised them by stating that <<ignorance is a prison, because in there you don’t understand and you don’t know what to do>>. Over the next five years, therefore, the mission of the teacher and his students would be to organize the greatest “escape” of the century, so in the future, after having climbed over the wall of ignorance, no one would need to help and would not have run the risk of being deceived.
Well the story is intriguing… because in theory we all know that studying, knowing, informing is important for oneself, for the community and blah blah blah… but are we really aware that ignorance is a prison?
The philosopher Platone (forgive us… but this year with Platone they tortured us FOR MONTHS!), telling the myth of the cave, talks to us about knowledge, presenting the image of some slaves forced from birth to be chained in a cave, looking towards the bottom and their backs towards the exit, condemned to believe that the shadows they see reflected represent reality. One day a slave is freed and when he comes out of the cave he suddenly discovers the “true” reality so he goes back to warn the others and give them his knowledge… even if we didn’t appreciate it very much… but that’s another story.
In short, the other mates remain “ignorant”… but what does “ignore” mean?
The Vocabulary tells us that “Ignorance” etymologically means “unawareness” and therefore by ignorant we mean someone who has neglected the knowledge of things that should or could be known. (INTERESTING….)
Perhaps this is the point: those who ignore are not free and find themselves trapped because they do not see or do not want to see what is beyond what they already know. Knowledge, instead, is freedom and it is necessary to understand this, because only by knowing, studying, learning can we free ourselves from the trap and the chains.
Although studying, experimenting, daring may seem burdensome or difficult to us and takes up most of our time, in reality it is essential not only to fulfill ourselves but above all to make us a little less small and alone in this world… free and independent hearts.
We think that everyone can escape from prison but to do that, passion is needfull, the passion for what I am not and what I don’t know, the desire for what is different (a story, a country, a person…) and then yes, we can succeed to escape from the “bars” imposed by those who use the ignorance of others as a tool of manipulation (because the saddest thing is precisely this…not having the tools to understand and live…remaining slaves in the cave forever.).
Of course, sometimes it won’t be easy, it will take a good dose of determination or unconsciousness but if ignorance is a prison, ultimately the great “escape” will always be a rebirth.
Sara Clemente
Davide Mascari
Sudents of 3I class, from Liceo scientifico G B Grassi of Latina
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