The Allegory Of The Cave Essay - 2021 Words

In what might be the most famous and recognizable image of Plato’s Republic, the message of the allegory of the cave is present not only in Book VII, but throughout the entire dialogue. Plato-as-Socrates uses the allegory to express his views on philosophy’s role in his city of speech which is later shown more deeply with the five regimes in Book VIII. The cities in the five regimes undergo a degradation as philosophy moves further and further away from the ruler; which also mirrors the cave. Plato reveals his belief that the city and philosophy are inexorably linked through the soul of the tyrannical man in Book IX, saying that without philosophy the soul withers and learns to fear and hate the city because of the person’s willingness to do whatever is necessary to achieve their desires. In the various books, the allegory of the cave can be compared and likened to the actions occurring within the pages of the text. From the very first line in the Republic, the A llegory of the Cave is shown symbolically throughout the dialogue from beginning to end. At the very beginning of Book VII, Socrates explains his allegory of the cave. Humans are placed in chains in the cave from birth. They cannot move and can only see what is directly in front of them. Behind them, hidden where they do not see, is a wall, a fire, and puppets with their handlers. The puppets cast shadows on the cave wall in front of the prisoners, and because they have never experienced anything else, they areShow MoreRelatedThe Allegory Of The Cave1086 Words   |  5 PagesExplain the allegorical significance(s) of the cave in Plato’s Republic. How is the cave an allegory of Plato’s philosophy? How is the allegory of the cave an allegory for enlightenment or philosophical education? How and why are most human beings like prisoners in a cave? Who are the puppeteers? What does the world outside the cave represent? What does the sun represent? Etc. What is Platoâ€℠¢s Theory of the Forms? What is a Form? How does the allegory of the cave express Plato’s Theory of the Forms? HowRead MoreThe Allegory of the Cave907 Words   |  4 Pagesman 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. In the allegory of the cave Plato sets the scene with humans in a cave that have been chained since childhood so they are restricted from moving and looking around the room. These people only see the shadows castedRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave1382 Words   |  6 Pageshis most intricate, yet his most important figure: the Allegory of the Cave. Socrates calls on the interlocutors to imagine a dimly lit cave in which a group of prisoners are chained behind a wall in such a way that they cannot move and are forced to stare at a wall all day. Thanks to a small fire, the prisoners are able to see the shadows of their imprisoners and images their imprisoners projected on the wall. Having always been in the cave, the prisoners believe the shadows are true; similarlyRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave1307 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Allegory of the Cave there are prisoners are chained up together in which they are all facing the back wall. There is a firing behind the prisoners and the onl y thing that they can see are the shadows of the people behind them. The fire casts shadows on the wall so this is the only thing that they see. Their entire lives have been based on these shadows on the wall. These prisoners have been chained up since birth, so what they see on the walls is all they know. In the Allegory of the Cave, theyRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave Essay975 Words   |  4 Pagesof philosophy in Brooklyn College, once said â€Å"The only thing we know for certain is that nothing is certain.† This is the main philosophy behind both Plato’s â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave†, and the renowned sci-fi movie â€Å"The Matrix.† Both works deal with escaping a false reality while unveiling a real one. In Plato’s â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave†, the escaped prisoner synonymous to the character Neo in â€Å"The Matrix†, exhibiting a shared theme behind both plots. Socrates suggest that with effort, all that isRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave905 Words   |  4 PagesIn the allegory of the cave Plato tries to show us two scenarios where the prisoners experience emotional and intellectual revelations throughout their lives. Plato’s theory was that the ones who truly understand knowledge should guide the ignorant people out of their unenlightened states of being and into true knowledge. The cave symbolizes the people who think that knowledge come from what they see and hear in the world. It also indicates people that make assumptions about life based on the substantialRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave Essay1660 Words   |  7 Pages 3. Explain how the Allegory of the Cave represents Plato’s views about the nature of knowledge and the nature of reality. In the Allegory of the Cave there are chained prisoners in cave who can only stare at the cave wall in front of them. At the back there is a long entrance with a staircase the width of the cave and a fire burning in the distance. They see only shadows projected in front of them from a raised platform and hear an echo that they attribute to what they observe. They talk aboutRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave1619 Words   |  7 PagesIn his allegory of the cave, Plato describes a scenario in which chained-up prisoners in a cave understand the reality of their world by observing the shadows on a cave wall. Unable to turn around, what seems to be reality are but cast shadows of puppets meant to deceive the prisoners. In the allegory, a prisoner is released from his chains and allowed to leave the cave. On his way out, he sees the fire, he sees the puppets, and then he sees the sun. Blinded by the sunlight, he could only stare downRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave Essay718 Words   |  3 PagesThesis Allegory of Cave First what is perception and ignorance? Let us define perception as one’s view of life through rationalization of the external world and ignorance as an assumption without proof and contemplation. In the â€Å"Allegory of The Cave†, Plato uses Socrates to explain different types of people, one who sees the physical realm accepting ideas as they form and one who lives in knowledge realm by questioning those ideas. People of the knowledge realm are obligated to helps those in theRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave870 Words   |  4 Pages I had an experience that each represents the symbol towards the Allegory of the Cave. My childhood was mostly in Jamaica where I lived with my father for two to three years. I can relate to the symbols from the Allegory of the Cave. I was a prisoner in his house because I wasn’t allowed to leave the house. The chains on my hand represents me being a prisoner in the house. After dark every night I would be all by myself scared. I was 15 years old at the time and Jamaica wasn’t a place that