Explain The Allegory Of The Cave

The Allegory of the Cave Plato, is recognized as one of the reputable and admired philosophers of his time and of all time. Dating back from ancient Greece, Plato and philosophers of the like, attempted to answer life’s deepest questions like “what is reality” and “where are we going.” Through deep thought and debate, these philosophers were able to formulate opinions and theories; opinions and theories that are still discussed in today’s modern society. One such example to discuss life and the truth is The Allegory of the Cave, a portion of one of Plato’s most famous works, The Republic. Through The Allegory of the Cave, Plato is able to explain the “The Forms” and knowledge in a context that people of ancient Greece were able to comprehend.

In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” he writes about prisoners that have been locked up in this cave for their whole lives and only know the world through shadows and sounds. Until one day a prisoner is freed from his chains. Once this man is freed from his chains he proceeds to exit the cave and experiences an unknown world he has never seen with his eyes. He realizes that his old life and those guesses about what the shadows and sounds were useless as now he can see the truth beyond the entrance of the cave. Once he has experienced enough of the outside world and it’s beauties he wants to inform his friends of the truth. He tells them that the world they lived in their whole life is a lie and that the truth is beyond the cave and into the unknown.

Plato was a student of the great philosopher of Socrates and went on to become a very influential figure in classical Greek philosophy. Plato went on to write the Republic where he sets out to answer many question such as; what is justice, why does man follow the law, and how do implications of society affect our behavior. The most interesting topic from the Republic is from Book VII, the allegory of the cave. With the allegory of the cave Plato gives us the power to break the chains that bind us down and leads us to see the light.

“Allegory of the Cave”, written by Plato, is story that contrasts the differences between what is real and what is perceived. He opens with Glaucon talking to Socrates. He has Glaucon imagine what it would be like to be chained down in a cave, not able to see anything other than what is in front of him. He tells a story of men that were trapped in a cave and were prisoners to the truth. These prisoners have only seen shadows. But because of their ignorance, these slaves to the cave believe that the shadows are real. The story goes on to say that one of the men has been dragged out of the cave. He is not happy to see the real world, yet upset because he is being taken

Throughout history, one thing has been consistently clear: humanity is failing.Whether it be consistently, or a huge downfall all at once, humanity has proven time and time again it is not capable of supporting itself with an effective communication system. Yes, world leaders are known to sit down and talk to each other, but has that ever been effective? Are these people talking or participating in a dialogue? The difference between a conversation and a dialogue is that during a conversation, nothing is suspended in order to understand while in a dialogue, people check their assumptions, prejudices, and judgments at the door to have their minds open for discussion.

In Book 7 of Plato’s Republic, "The Allegory of the Cave” is a symbolic story of which there are prisoners in a cave with a fire that is located behind them. They have always faced the wall of the cave and have only seen what was outside of the cave from the shadows. They believe that the shadows of the objects carried are real, but in reality, it 's just a shadow of the truth. The prisoners play a game where they guess what the shadows are and end up believing that it is the truth. However, when one prisoner escapes and faces reality, where the sun is a source of life, he realizes that the game was pointless. He seeks for meaning and truth from his journey outside of the cave. Socrates then insists that he must return to the cave and share what he has found with the prisoners because it will benefit everyone as a whole. However, when he returns and informs the prisoners, they react by not believing him and threatening to kill him if he set them free, because they are scared of the change that would occur after knowing the truth. Socrates believes that knowledge gained through senses is no more than an opinion. True knowledge is gained through reasoning and understanding. The allegory could symbolize positivity in modern American society.

Although he wrote many works in his time, Plato 's most famous piece was The Republic. The philosopher created what we know as "the allegory of the cave." Plato once wrote, "How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?" (Plato) In The Truman Show, created in 1998, the man that controls Truman Burbank 's life says, "We accept the reality of the world with which we 're presented. It 's as simple as that." (Nichol) The allegory portrays mankind as prisoners. Said prisoners are chained up and forced to watch the shadows that are shown on the wall in front of them. Truman Burbank 's entire life was created for him. Even though he believes it to be a reality, Truman 's life is actually a show being broadcast all over the the world to millions of people. To many, The Truman Show is a more understandable take on The Allegory of the Cave. If this were in fact true, then it would surely explain the obvious ways that the two can be compared to one another as well as contrasted.

Evaluation: The Allegory of the Cave According to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, we have many theoretical caves in our lives that we might not realize at first glance. Plato, a Greek philosopher from the Philosophical era introduced a new idea promoting the thought of reality and reflection. Theoretical caves are made to withhold us from reality and distract us from truth, somewhat like smoke and mirrors. If you think about it, our lives could be giant caves.

Response: Republic In Republic VII, the allegory of the cave is an elegant metaphor for the effect that education can have on an individual. The metaphor highlights the strife that one feels as the veil of ignorance is lifted. As stated in the name the metaphor uses a cave with prisoners shackled to a world made deceit and ignorant. An individual is released from the chains and dragged into what is actually true (the sun) and not what is perceived as truth (the shadows).

Allegory of the Cave, is a popular work of Plato. In the excerpt, Plato gives his take on what exactly does it mean to be in the “reality.” Throughout the excerpt, Socrates explains to Glaucon about a cave. The inhabitants of the cave have never seen the day of light. Literally. The people in the cave are prisoners, they are bounded by chains and shackles. They have no idea about the “real” world. The only thing they can see are shadows cast by the fire in the center of the cave. They believe these shadows are real, in truth, they are not. To me, I think the cave represents our mentality as human beings. We only know what is true because we were taught that it is. Not that we have pondered the thought of it really being that way, it's just because we learn by following. On the other

In “Allegory of the Cave” the main protagonist is a prisoner who is held hostage in a dark cave. This prison is chained up from neck and feet, only allowing him to see straight in front of him. Along with the other prisoners who were also in the cave where the only light that could be seen was that of the fire behind them. Given to us that the only visible object they may see are those of the shadows from the objects carried by those outside of the cave. The prisoners were able to imagine the animals and figures that would pass by allowing them to create an infallible image of what was of the outside world. As time passed the prisoners continue to only visually see shadows passing by. When one of the prisoners was led free and was finally

The allegory of the cave is a very symbolic passage with so much meaning behind it. It talks about how knowledge, education, and imagination affects us as a whole society. FINISH Socrates explains two different worlds during Book 7. He starts by explaining the world that the prisoners in the cave are living, then goes to explain the world that everyone else is living outside of that.

Seeing the Allegory of the Cave visually affects your sense of imagery. Plato paints a picture of three normal people who are prisoners in a cave. They are unware of the life that isn’t shown to them. They stare at the wall and are shown shadows every once and a while. It shows world of ideal forms, of which everything we know by our senses is but a lower copy. The people talk about it and guess what the shadows are. One day, a prisoner is released from the cave. He is blinded by the light but then his eyes adjust and he sees the truth. After he takes in the real world he goes back to tell the other prisoners. The prisoners are still chained up and do not recognize him. His voice echo’s which they can’t understand it and his shadow doesn’t

Philosophy can best be defined as a thorough analysis of debatable ethical problems and generally accepted beliefs. Philosophy has always been around, and ever-present in all cultures, may they be religious, medieval, or secular. However, in order for philosophy to even be possible there must be an individual who dedicates a vast amount of time to study/understand the meaning of life and the truth; these individuals are widely accepted as philosophers. Throughout time there have been a countless number of philosophers, but two in particular stand out amongst the rest; the names of these individuals are Plato and Aristotle. Plato and Aristotle were men from the Western Hemisphere who were revered by many as the greatest thinkers of their time. Even though these men were from the same part of the globe, they did have some differences in beliefs. Plato for example, strongly believed in reality as opposed to Aristotle who

The Allegory of the Cave, written by Plato, depicts how prisoners are confined to a the surface of a world they do not know, only by sight, viewing shadows they see in the outside world. Readers know that there is more beyond the cave, because we have the knowledge of the outside world and what is beyond the cave.