The Mirror
The mirror of nature epitomizes the unrealistic conclusions of philosophical findings that do not reflect the heart's dictates. The writer says, " If we have a Wittgensteinian notion of language as a tool rather than a mirror, we will not look for necessary conditions of the possibility of linguistic representation. The author continues to say, “If we have a Heideggerian conception of philosophy, we will see the attempt to make the nature of the knowing subject a source of necessary truths as one more self-deceptive attempt to substitute a "technical" and determinate question for that openness to strangeness which initially tempted us to begin thinking. Therefore, the author concludes that subjectivity and objectivity of truth cannot be entirely based on philosophical findings.
Philosophy
In the entire book, the author depicts philosophy as a symbol of theoretics’ conclusions. The narrator writes, “The idea of "philosophy" itself, in the sense in which it has been understood since the subject became standardized as an academic subject in the nineteenth century, was not yet at hand. The narrator references philosophers such a Descartes and Hobbes to show how their conclusions influence the foundations of knowledge.
Churches
The author uses churches to symbolize disruptions in philosophical studies. Most philosophers diverged from religious beliefs to come up with their conclusions because they disagreed with theological perspectives. The narrator writes, "Until the power of the churches over science and scholarship was broken, the energies of the men we now think of as "philosophers" were directed toward demarcating their activities from religion. It was only after that battle had been won that the question of separation from the sciences could arise.”
The Young Dewey (represents social reforms)
Dewey entered into the philosophical world as a sign of hope that brought the long-waited reforms. Dewey's work proclaimed the paradox of old epistemological glitches and solutions. The author says, “The earnest reductionism of Bain and Mill and the equally earnest romanticism of Royce drove aesthetical ironists like James and Bradley, as well as social reformers like the young Dewey, to proclaim the unreality of traditional epistemological problems and solutions.”
Plato symbol of philosophical thinking
Plato symbolizes logical thinking. Plato joined the philosophical world in the early 19th century to bring new thinking. The author writes, “Just as mathematics had inspired Plato to invent "philosophical thinking," so serious-minded philosophers turned to mathematical logic for rescue from the exuberant satire of their critics.”
