Preview

Plato's The Allegory of the Cave: The Experience of Reality

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
267 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Plato's The Allegory of the Cave: The Experience of Reality
The Allegory of the Cave
In the Allegory of the Cave it is explain how reality is different for everybody. Not all of us have the same view of what reality is, most of us believe in what we see and that is the reality we know and the one we believe in. In this allegory we hear the story of prisoners who are chained in a cave just looking at a wall in front of them, behind them there is a fire and between that fire and them there is way, here is where people pass by and when this happens, the prisoners are able to see their shadows and this, for them is the reality. Then a prisoner is freed, and he is allow to go out of the cave and see the real world, here is where they learn that the shadows are not at all the reality, they learn more things about the world and then he goes again into the cave to tell his friends but they don’t believe this, because they only see him as a shadow and the stories they heard from him they are not even able to hear them. I believe that everybody has a different point of view of what reality is; everybody has their own theory of how they see life and how they experience it. In my opinion I think that most people believe that reality is what they see and that there is nothing else beyond that, but of course there are people that believe there is something beyond than what we see.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The Allegory of the Cave is about a group of people who have lived in a cave since their childhood. These people not only live in this cave, but they are also chained and made to face a blank wall. Even their heads are shackled such that they cannot look behind them or at the sides. On the blank wall in front of them, a fire that is behind them projects shadows of objects that are passing behind them. When one of them is released to the outside world, the people who remain in the cave do not believe the version of the story concerning the reality of the shadows they have spent the whole of their lives watching and analyzing.…

    • 1275 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In studying all of the symbolism included, it becomes apparent that the Allegory of the Cave is a representation of the philosopher’s place in society, and the other prisoners reaction to the escaped prisoner returning is representing the reaction people have of philosophers, and becoming aware of the truth philosophers hold. The Allegory of the Cave illustrates book 5 and 6 for us by showing the effect education has on the human soul, and how education helps us move through the different parts of the divided line, then will eventually take him to the form of the…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Plato's Allegory of the Cave there were multiple beliefs brought upon by the prisoners of this cave. The prisoners of the cave are supposed to parallel everyday people in the sense of how reality is perceived. The prisoners of the cave believed and only knew that reality of the shadows and developed their own belief structure and way of processing that information. Plato connected that to everyday people due to the fact that although we strongly believe the reality we have made for ourselves, there can be more that we have never been exposed to. For example, when one of the prisoners were unchained and brought out of the cave into the world, he was overwhelmed and wanted to tell the other prisoners. Due to the fact that other prisoners could…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Book 7, Socrates presents the famous metaphor – allegory of cave. The metaphor demonstrates the influence of education on a human soul. People see shadows of statues in the dark place and believe these figures to be real. This shows people’s lowest stage on the Socrates’ line – imagination. When a prisoner is unchained, blinded with the light of fire, within the time he sees that indeed shadows are reflections of statues. This is where belief is represented - he sees the link and percepts this to be real. Finally, the person is taken out of the cave and, blinded within the sunlight, later he sees the real world: real trees, flowers, animals,…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his well-known “Allegory of the Cave”, the Greek philosopher Plato used the analogy of people lost in a cave to explain his belief that only enlightened philosophers should rule, since only they could truly understand the world. When I compared Plato’s ideal government to the workings of a modern democracy, I realized how different these two are. The U.S. government relies on the rule of the people, and does not limit voting rights or the pursuit of public office to any particular class. If Plato’s belief were applied to this democratic system, in which every citizen assists in ruling, then every citizen should be a philosopher or, as the Schedler Honors College website puts it, a “citizen-scholar”. Specifically, citizen-scholars have the…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What do the den (the prison), the prisoners, the shadow, the sun, and the journey out of the cave symbolize? Quote from Plato’s discussion. Why would Plato use an allegory to convey these ideas? Cite specific passages.…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Michael Ramsey’s video depicting Plato’s Allegory of the Cave men are held captive in a cave since childhood. The only reality they knew was demonstrated before them as the shadows of civilians as they passed by them. All seemed normal in their world until one of the prisoners was set free and taken out of the cave. Once his eyes became adjusted, he was able to accept the new reality portrayed all around him. I had a similar experience when I transitioned from high school to college. In high school my reality was based on the security, structure, and guidance provided by exterior influences, college has helped me to change my perception of reality.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The allegory of the cave in Plato’s Republic is a metaphor meant to illustrate Plato’s views on knowledge but also strengthens his perception of the noble lie in society, an idea that is still very relevant today. It is designed to ask the fundamental question of: “What is the truth?” This is a clear reference Plato’s ideology that rests upon the sworn duty that Guardians make towards the state and it is hence emphasized by this analogy. The journey that one makes to be able to attain that superior state is full of hardships1(The Republic, 516, a) but it is meant to illustrate the route the Guardians take to attain the Philosopher-King status. It is what leads a man to enlightenment but also establishes a supreme duty for whoever discovers…

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Socrates explains that the allegory represents our world and the way our senses can interpret it. “The prison house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Allegory of the Cave is a story that was written down by Plato, and told by Socrates many, many years ago. It tells of a cave containing prisoners who have been there since they were very young. Behind them is a fire that is burning, and between the fire and the prisoners is a road with a curtain-wall. Behind this curtain-wall are figures of wood and stone, including animals and men. Socrates asks if they had some form of freedom, such as being able to talk, or even being freed. Would they understand and be able to handle the outside world? To me, The Allegory of the Cave illustrates the fact that people sometimes do not understand reality for what it is.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    What might "the chains" symbolize in today's society; here at D.A., here in NYC, here in the United States, and in the global society?…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The allegory of the cave describes a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them by puppeteers, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows that he has seen all his life on the wall are not reality at all. The escaped prisoner would then return to the cave and tell the other prisoners about what he has seen outside the cave and how the things they believe to be reality are wrong. Most of the prisoners ignore the escapee and go back to watching the shadows casted on the wall as they believe that this is the only reality.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Allegory of the Cave is a deep theoretical philosophical scenario that is being described by Plato in the form of a progressive conversation which begins with Socrates having a fictitious conversation with his brother Glaucon. The conversation between both brothers deals with the lack of knowledge of humanity and the ethics that society has created. This story envelops the reality that comes forth through knowledge and the willingness for man to seek the truth. Once man has been made aware of this, all he desires is to share this with his fellow man and free them from their oppression of ignorance.…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Malcolm X

    • 1522 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The "Allegory of the Cave" by Plato represents an extended metaphor that is to contrast the way in which we perceive and believe in what is reality. The thesis behind his allegory is the basic tenets that all we perceive are imperfect "reflections" of the ultimate Forms, which subsequently represent truth and reality. In his story, Plato establishes a cave in which prisoners are chained down and forced to look upon the front wall of the cave. He starts with: “Behold! Human beings living in an underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets”.…

    • 1522 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Plato’s allegory of the cave he talks about appearance vs. reality, so for example, we see a person who’s achieved every single one of their goals, is content, physically flawless and has many friends basically is living a perfect life. People envy them and may do things to sabotage that, they become obsessed with that persons life and all the perfect things .…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays