Essay about Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” is just one small part of his work The Republic. In this piece, in particular his use of allegory and dialogue become the two main rhetorical devices he uses to

The Republic is considered to be one of Plato’s most storied legacies. Plato recorded many different philosophical ideals in his writings. Addressing a wide variety of topics from justice in book one, to knowledge, enlightenment, and the senses as he does in book seven. In his seventh book, when discussing the concept of knowledge, he is virtually addressing the cliché “seeing is believing”, while attempting to validate the roots of our knowledge. By his use of philosophical themes, Plato is able to further his points on enlightenment, knowledge, and education. In this allegory, the depictions of humans as they are chained, their only knowledge of the world is what is seen inside the cave. Plato considers what would happen to people

In the story The Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes the perception of reality. He explains how to interpret ideas or objects in different perspectives. The story he tells about the cave could have influenced different modern day ideas. Some ideal examples might include religion, abuse, and imprisonment. Plato’s cave theory applies to all of these ideas and can show many different perspectives.

Plato’s allegory of the cave, located in Book VII of The Republic is one of the most famous allegories in which he has created. This simile touches base on a number of philosophical ideas which Plato developed over the progression of The Republic (Plato, G.M.A Grube, 1993), the most noticeable being the dividing line. The dividing line is the point between the world of ideas where we live and the world of the forms which is in the heavens. This allegory of the cave helps people understand the theory on which philosophy is based. It is also in this Book where the education of the guardians is outlined.

Plato uses this section of the dialogue to emphasize that he is now out of his realm of understanding and is in the Intelligible World where true reality, according to Plato, exists. Because the man can analyze and reason to move up to the Intelligible World, Plato shows this as a shift to the Realm of Mathematics. At the time, great value and importance was placed on the concepts of mathematics such as analytical and reasoning faculties of the mind and thus would have influences Plato to place it on a higher level. Due to his level of understanding and the major shift from one World to the other, he is overwhelmed and takes time to slowly learn the new concepts. However, once the man is adapted enough, he can look directly at the beings and the objects that cause the shadows on the wall. In the theory of the Divided Line, Plato exemplifies that the man is looking at what are the known as the Forms. The Forms are the perfect objects that exist in the higher realm of understanding and are shadowed on the wall of the cave. Thus, he is stating that what the people in the cave see are simply imperfect and skewed representations of the true and perfect forms from which they originate.

In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes, with a dialectic between Socrates and his student Glaucon, a world in which humans are chained to the wall of a dark cave, seeing only shadows but believing them to be reality. Glaucon at first abhors the idea of staying the cave, but through careful manipulation, Socrates convinces him to return to the cave. Socrates’ and therefore Plato's words are carefully measured and detached, to appeal to his intellectual audience of mainly philosophers to follow in Glaucon’s footsteps and return to the cave in order to govern how Plato sees most fit. Building up Glaucon’s confidence by reversing his role as a teacher and complimenting him, Socrates creates a sense of responsibility to a greater cause

In order to understand the moral fabric of the world, it is important to question any information that is given to an individual, instead of blindly accepting the majority opinion and giving it full credibility and validity based on other people’s opinions. Plato’s work, The Republic introduces the allegory of the cave, which is metaphorical scenario that attempts to explain the importance of questioning norms that may seem trivial. Plato illustrates a cave where bounded prisoners have lived all their lives in seclusion, away from the outside world. In their immobile state, they can only look at the wall in front of them which is illuminated by a small fire that has been going on behind them. The wall constantly projects shadows of people

The Allegory of the Cave is the story of how Socrates interpreted the town of Athens, Greece to his loyal student Plato. The cave goes way back to 480 B.C. Socrates was Plato’s teacher. Plato praised his teachings and even retold some of his lessons to keep his stories from dying, one of them being the Allegory of the Cave. In Plato’s opinion, the story explains Socrates’ journey in Athens, the political build up, and social highlights.

“See human beings as though they were in an underground cave-like dwelling” (193). Although Plato’s famous allegory of the cave doesn’t appear until Book VII of The Republic, its significance cannot be understated. The meaning behind the Greek philosopher’s imagery manifests itself throughout the rest of the work, specifically Book I. After outlining the description of the cave and demonstrating how the rest of The Republic dramatizes it, I argue that Plato (or Plato’s Socrates) is revealing a relationship that posits philosophy, which can only come about through mutual respect, as critical for the city’s well-being, but ultimately not enough just by itself.

“The Good “ as Seen by Aristotle and Plato Plato expressed his views regarding “the good “ in his work The Allegory of the Cave. Plato believed that there was a creator and only thing existed. All other forms were ideas to him, the physical world was not worthy, and therefore the intellectual was the pathway to “the good”. As for Aristotle, he discusses the Theory of Forms in which he believed that there was more than intellect. He believed that there were actions and virtues by which one could be good.

Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave is a short story specifically discussing the parallels between the shadows the prisoners sees on the wall of the cave, and the illusion, which passes off as truth in today\\'s society. The Allegory of the Cave is about Socrates teaching his student, Glaucon, certain principles of life by telling him one of his allegories. The Allegory of the Cave can be interpreted in many ways; one way is to make a comparison between the story and the way of thinking by individuals in a closed society.

Plato is regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of his time. Many of his ideas have been reconstituted and passed down to find a greater meaning and understanding of society today. Metaphysics for example, has helped discover the truth or the true form of an object. While, the levels of reality provide a unique perspective on human nature; the way people react in certain situations; as well as the ideal society according to Plato. Plato’s ideal society [as outlined in the Republic] is one in which the people are not consumed with the surrounding darkness and embrace virtuous practices to preserve justice for the betterment of society over their own self-interests.

Hereafter, one finds themselves entering into the territory of the second metaphor enumerated by Plato in The Republic. The Image of the Line, once more is intended to give sustenance to the analyzation of goodness and is a direct relation to The Simile of the Sun. In this metaphor, Socrates describes a line which is to be unequally divided into four segments. The segments labeled A and B are to apportion for likenesses, or the visible realm. This, according to Plato, is a dangerous realm made for misconceptions and incompleteness. From this realm one can only witness the shadows and illusions of the material world which serve merely to conceive unreality. Here is where appearances reside and here is what our senses are able to perceive.

By writing The Allegory of the Cave or Plato’s Cave, Plato tries to convey to people that they must escape the world of illusions and shadows and look at it with other eyes because that is the only way that they can find the true view of the world. In other words what I mean by other eyes is that people should see not only what is presented to them but see what is the real message hidden behind the illusion. People should think outside the box in order to break away from the delusions and discover the reality. Plato’s allegory tells us about people’s way of thinking about the world. In the essay I will explain why not everyone wants to open his or her eyes, how people are misguided by illusions, and why sometimes it is hard it is to see the reality.

Plato’s Republic, a dialogue known and studied by many for its deep teachings in knowledge and education. Consequently, education was something Plato would often talk about, it played a large role in the Allegory of the Cave and can be used as a topic of discussion in schools. Moreover, the allegory of the cave is known for a depiction of men trapped in a cave, unable to escape. Whilst the Analogy of the Sun and Analogy of the Divided Line are not as widely known, they still serve as excellent analogies for the Allegory of the Cave. They can further explain the importance of the good, whilst adding how far the mind and body’s capabilities may further.