llegory Anthony Guerra
Professor Neilson
Philosophy & Ethics
14 October 2010
The Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix Book VII of The Republic begins with Socrates’ “Allegory of the Cave.” The purpose of this allegory is to “make an image of our nature in its education and want of education” in other words, it illustrates Socrates’ model of education. In addition, the allegory corresponds perfectly to the analogy of the divided line. However, this Cave Analogy is also an applicable theme in modern times, for example, the movie, The Matrix, is loosely based off the Allegory. The cave is underground and dark; it consists of human beings who have been living down there since childhood. These people are almost like prisoners since
However, he is given the choice between the two worlds in the form of a pill, a blue pill and a red pill. The blue pill allows Neo to remain in the dream world and live ignorantly and the red pill will lead him to the truth. Consequently, Neo takes the red pill to seek truth. This is a clear parallel to the allegory of the cave. The people in the cave do not know that they are prisoners and do not believe anything is wrong with how they live, just as the people in The Matrix do not know that they are actually prisoners and that their world is fake. “The world which Neo has inhabited since birth is the Matrix, an illusory simulated reality construct of the world as it was in 1999 developed by the machines to keep the human population docile in their captivity”. Despite this, Neo is allowed to leave this world, just as the “philosopher” is able to leave the cave in order to discover the truth. Although the Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix are not exactly the same story, they share a similar foundation, that being that the previous worlds that people had lived in were, in fact, fake. They also share the same idea of a main character coming out of this false world and discovering truth. This is ultimately Socrates’ point of the allegory, that is, to be educated properly, which means coming out of ignorance and discovering the truth.

Works Cited
McAdoo, Oliver. "Matrix Philosophy - Blue or Red Pill?” arrod.co.uk - Learn, expand your mind and