The Allegory Of The Cave In Plato's The Republic
Because of its status as one of the most famous and influential works in philosophy, Plato’s The Republic has had an astounding impact upon modern philosophy and thought. In The Republic, Plato presents the Allegory of the Cave. The Allegory of the Cave poses “the degrees in which our nature may be enlightened or unenlightened” (227). The allegory also serves as an insight into the life of a philosopher, and it proposes the place of philosophy in the world. The allegory illustrates the conflicts that philosophers may face while they attempt to determine the truth about the world and its nature. The Allegory of the Cave begins with Plato asking the reader to “imagine the condition of men living in a sort of cavernous chamber underground”
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The freed prisoner is often interpreted as a direct representation of a philosopher. After the freed prisoner escapes from the darkness of the cave, he witnesses the sun, which is seen as a notion of knowledge and enlightenment (Meinwald). Like a philosopher, the prisoner learns to set aside their prior beliefs in order to contemplate their new version of reality. After becoming fully acclimated with the nature of the sun, the freed prisoner reaches the conclusion that the sun controls everything in the visible world. The prisoners who reject the ideas of the enlightened prisoner are a representation of the society as a whole. The prisoners are “only referred to as a group, rather than as individuals” (Godowski) which reinforces their role as a society. Plato implies that the freed prison’s ultimate fate is either humiliation or death. When the prisoner returns to the cave to tells the other, they mock him and planned to kill him. In an allusion Socrates‘s fate Plato …show more content…
The hostile reaction of prisoners reveals Plato’s opinion on society. Plato believed that the majority of the population was content with remaining ignorant about the world and would violently retaliate if their ideas about reality were brought into question (Brickhouse and Smith). The Allegory of the Cave suggests that all people are born into ignorance, but can be brought out of their ignorance through philosophy. Plato advocates the use of philosophy as a method of educating the population in how to rationalize the world and truths that it
The freed prisoner is often interpreted as a direct representation of a philosopher. After the freed prisoner escapes from the darkness of the cave, he witnesses the sun, which is seen as a notion of knowledge and enlightenment (Meinwald). Like a philosopher, the prisoner learns to set aside their prior beliefs in order to contemplate their new version of reality. After becoming fully acclimated with the nature of the sun, the freed prisoner reaches the conclusion that the sun controls everything in the visible world. The prisoners who reject the ideas of the enlightened prisoner are a representation of the society as a whole. The prisoners are “only referred to as a group, rather than as individuals” (Godowski) which reinforces their role as a society. Plato implies that the freed prison’s ultimate fate is either humiliation or death. When the prisoner returns to the cave to tells the other, they mock him and planned to kill him. In an allusion Socrates‘s fate Plato …show more content…
The hostile reaction of prisoners reveals Plato’s opinion on society. Plato believed that the majority of the population was content with remaining ignorant about the world and would violently retaliate if their ideas about reality were brought into question (Brickhouse and Smith). The Allegory of the Cave suggests that all people are born into ignorance, but can be brought out of their ignorance through philosophy. Plato advocates the use of philosophy as a method of educating the population in how to rationalize the world and truths that it