The Allegory of the Cave
In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato tells a story of prisoners chained in a cave since birth, where their eyes are forcefully fixed upon a wall in front of them. On the wall, shadows of images are casted upon it from the objects that appear behind them. Since this is the only thing they have been permitted to see, this is the only reality they understand. Therefore, when one of the prisoners escapes to the surface, he is blinded and astonished by the new world he has discovered. After realizing his entire comprehension of life was utterly wrong, he wishes to share his enlightenment with his fellow prisoners below in the cave.
However, who is to say they'll believe him? And if they do believe him, who is to say they will accept the new truth? They may be fearful of what lies beyond the safe, comfortable world that they have grown so accustomed to. Learning about a drastically different reality that would shatter the fantasy they dwell in may persuade them into settling for a lie. This is the issue our society faces.
Many choose to reject reality and truth because of their desire to remain in their safe falsified perception of life. They fear the process of adaptating and the unknowns that the new world may hold. This is a critical issue that can stunt the growth of our world: the fear of change that the truth will bring. This problem can be solved by discussing the benefits of the change. By addressing the advantages and
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” is a great piece of writing that serves as something very obvious; a dramatic comparison of what is reality and what we perceive to be reality. Although this is the case, some components of “Allegory of the Cave” cannot be identified as easy as the extended metaphor presented throughout the reading. One component that needs extra analyzing to identify is the allegory of the story, or its philosophical messages. Another component not easily identified is the frictional…
Josh Morales Mrs. Dax American lit. 9/17/12 The Allegory of the Cave 1. The allegory of the cave is not just about a small group of people (specifically only the prisoners in the cave) but the majority of people everywhere. It’s about being stuck in something fiction since you were born and not being able to even have a thought about living differently because it’s all you’ve ever known. This allegory has a lot to do with psychological manipulation because the puppeteers have full control…
The Film 19 Oct 2013 “Allegory of the Cave” The essence of the myth is a hypothetical script portrayed by Plato in the form of an enlightening conversation between Socrates and his brother, Glaucon. Plato uses the allegory of the cave to demonstrate the life and death of Socrates in which we perceive and believe in what is reality. He begins with the describing a dark cave where prisoners who have been forced to look straight ahead by having their legs and neck fastened. The prisoners…
In “The Allegory of the Cave,” there are these men that have been bound by a chain, in a cave for as long as they can remember. They are faced to where their backs are towards the only source of light there is, a simple fire in the center. They can’t look either side but straight ahead. Behind the fire is wall, where statues stand, and are moved by people. And because of this, it cast shadows across the wall and the prisoners see that. They see stories being told from the shadows and since they have…
Summary of Plato, The allegory of the Cave As I read The Allegory of the Cave you can compare it to things that we go through as adults. As our lives progress over year, our upbringing can dictate for how we ultimately live our lives. It can mean that your family pronounced a word a certain way, that mean you may very well pronounce the word the same way. After getting feedback from classmates and analyzing this piece, I realize that Socrates messages were simple. Socrates way of thinking made…
The Allegory of The Cave Junwoo Lee THEO 190 003 SP15 This work written by Plato tells us about the theoretical environment, which is supposedly happening in a cave. Since a very young childhood, a group of prisoners have been held and bound by tight chains designed to prevent them from turning their head around so that they could not see the source of what is happening in front of their very eyes, which is their observable and perceivable reality. The world of shadows, which in fact, is performed…
THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE The following is an excerpt from Plato’s dialogue called “The Republic.” In this section of the dialogue called the “Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates creates an allegory to help illustrate his theory of knowledge. “Now then,” Socrates said, “let me tell you a story about ignorance and education which will explain the condition of man’s nature. Imagine that there is an underground cave with a long entrance open…
Sarah Carlson Mr. Kennett Intro to Philosophy 18 February 2015 Allegory of the Cave Philosophy. Why is it that when people hear this word they don’t know what to say? Is it really that hard to come up with a definition? Do most of us just not understand what this particular field of study really is? Or is it because Philosophy is what we think it is? Philosophy can defined as so many different things but only our own personal experiences help us figure out what it truly is. Philosophy is about our…
Comprehending the Mind's Aging Eye "The Allegory of the Cave," by Plato, explains that people experience emotional and intellectual revelations throughout different stages in their lives. This excerpt, from his dialogue The Republic, is a conversation between a philosopher and his pupil. The argument made by this philosopher has been interpreted thousands of times across the world. My own interpretation of this allegory is simple enough as Plato expresses his thoughts as separate stages.…
they should be in charge, then they are probably just power hungry and not actually a good ruler. When someone is not ruling for just power, then they are able to see how they can productively work to maintain power. Works such as the Apology, Allegory of the Cave, and Prince show and tell the readers the how to become good ruler, and how to maintain being one. A good ruler is a ruler that can be deceiving, fierce like a lion, sly like a fox, and be feared but not hated. A good ruler needs to be able…
