Analysis Of Plato's Simile Of The Cave

Plato argues that humans are subject to perceptual restrictions. In Plato’s “Simile of a Cave,” Plato explains how he believes humans of his time behaved using a straightforward similarity of men in a cave. Plato represents the men as being secured so that they cannot look left, right or even behind them, but only straightforward. Behind them is a flame, and behind the flame is an incomplete divider. On top of the divider are different statues, which are controlled by another gathering of individuals, lying beyond anyone's ability to see behind the halfway divider. As a result of the flame, the statues cast shadows over the divider that the prisoners are looking at. Since the prisoners have never known reality other than those shadows, they believe the shadows to be the truth, and if the voices from …show more content…
Plato is not able to give direct insight about the Form of the Good, and rather explains his thought by contrasting it with the sun. The Form of the Good is to the intelligible realm, he states the sun is the visible realm. In the “Simile of the Cave,” the flame that is mentioned in the cave represents the sun. The sun gives light and visibility in the visible realm, the Form of the Good is the source of clarity. The sun makes sight possible, and, also, the Form of the Good is in charge of our ability for learning. The sun causes things to come to be in the noticeable world; it manages the seasons. The Form of the Good is in charge of the presence of Forms, for their coming to be in the clear world. Plato supposed that the Forms were connected, and organized in a hierarchy. The highest peak is the Form of the Good, which is the final principle. According to Plato’s theory, an individual has access to the realm of forms through the mind and reason. This gives humans access to a stable world, which is secure from the pains and alterations of the physical